Meet Me In Heaven
by marinaandthedorks
Summary: After her family is slaughtered by her previous group, Harley continues to travel on her own, while desperately seeking for revenge. She becomes a stray loner in the woods of Georgia, but when two specific people capture her everything changes. [DarylxOC]
1. Chapter 1

_Story will **not** continue the original plot, except for prisoner + Woodbury-ish stuff. Reviews are love. _

**I do not own the Walking Dead storyline(/characters's)**

* * *

_"I will kill you for this—"_

_"Ah little girl, you still want to play games now, do ya?"_

_"Shut up. I will find you. And _when_ I do."_

_"Ooooh, threatening now, are we? Well, how about I'll help you a little bit? Push you over the edge, maybe?"_

_Her sister's scream echoed through the open spot. The screaming died away and was replaced with the gurgling sound. The sound that she would never forget. The teenage girl fell down, still choking in her blood, as she landed next to the lifeless body of her parents._

_Harley grabbed the gun from the ground with trembling hands. She tried to aim for his chest, but shot the guy in his kneecap instead. The other men tried to grab her, but she was already running._

* * *

The groaning noise woke her up and she immediately reacted. Her hand reached for the knife that was hidden behind her belt, and she looked around to discover the source of the groaning and moaning.

The geeks were only a few metres away from her. There were 4, to be precisely. She didn't hesitate before running towards their direction and stabbing one in the eye. It fell down with a thud and she repeated the process with the other 3.

After she made sure they were really dead this time, she grabbed her backpack and continued her journey into the forest. She knew she had to get food and water at some point, but she couldn't find a town. _It would help if I would get a damn map_, she grumbled in thought.

Her legs felt heavier with every step she took. The muscles were protesting by the lack of protein. All she had eaten the last couple of weeks were squirrels and canned peaches. She had managed to go on a run one week ago, but being alone was way too risky. At a certain point, she had heard muffled voices nearby the grocery where she'd had been at, but she managed to get away before they could notice her.

The sudden sound of rustling leaves made her turn around. She raised the knife, but felt vulnerable with it, so instead she took the gun out of her holster. Hesitating, she clicked the safety off and looked around.

_Nothing._

She sighed, let the gun slide back into the holster, and continued to move forward.

After 20 minutes, she allowed herself to take a short break. She leant on her knees and heaved a sigh.

Sometimes, her mind would wander off to her previous life. Before the world had gone to shit. But she realised digging up the past wouldn't make her feel better, so she would always force herself to think about something else. Yet she caught herself thinking about her sister and parents every now and then.

Harley had been so different back then, before the whole walking dead thing happened. Loving and caring towards others, reading and writing a lot, and finishing up her college. She even_ looked_ different. She used to have a labret piercing, but after the outburst had started, she decided it would be safer to remove it in case a walker would rip it off.

The groans interrupted her thoughts and she looked up. She reacted too slowly as she moved backwards and tripped over a rock. The geek landed on top of her with its teeth moving up and down as it was trying to bite her. Harley pushed it back with all force, but felt lost in that sudden moment.

The faces of her little sister and parents were crossing her thoughts. Had they died for _nothing_?

Her blood was boiling at the thought that she would never be able to kill the murderer who had slaughtered her family.

I_'m sorry_, she thought as she was still trying to fight the walker off. But she was weak. _Weak, tired, hungry_; any kind of physical weakness that a apocalypse surviver could have.

The sound of a flying object caught her attention, and before she could response, a knife was shoved through the walker's head. The blood spat all over her jacket and she closed her mouth and eyes, to prevent that the blood would come in touch with her face.

_It had been killed_. She was still alive.

When she tried to push it off her, she realised it was too heavy for her weakened muscles. But suddenly the body disappeared and the daylight shone into her eyes again. Someone offered her a hand and she accepted it without thinking. Her head was spinning around when she was standing straight again. A pain shot through her shoulders and she realised the person behind her was holding her arms on her back, to prevent her from defending herself. Harley gasped for air.

"Let go off me, fucking idiot!" she growled, while trying to break free by kicking her legs around. But the person behind her was obviously way taller than the short girl. The stranger pushed her to the nearest tree and her face scraped along the tree bark. "Ya got anythin' on ya that I need ta know of? Guns, knives, shit like tha'?" the voice behind her rasped. His southern accent drew her attention. She grinded her teeth and tried to look around, though the stranger pressed her even further against the tree. "Give me _one_ fucking reason why I should tell you." she snapped while she was starting to lose her patience. "Ya better tell me sugar, or else I will look for it m'self an' that ain't gonn' be pretty," the voice grumbled while stroking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Though I gotta say, I wouldn' _mind_ ta give ya a body search." the voice neared her ear and she tried to fight back. The man chuckled darkly. "Calm down princess, I ain't a rapist. Just don' wann' 'ave ta cut ya pretty lil' neck."

Harley snorted and realised she was in no position to defend herself. She relaxed under his grasp and sighed loudly. "Yes," she admitted finally, "I do have weapons on me. Who do you think I am, some kind of idiot who wouldn't arm herself during a fucking apocalypse?" she snapped. The husky voice laughed and Harley smelled the cigarettes breath. "I don' know princess, ya tell me. Some women only know how ta change diapers 'n cook a _steak_." the stranger chuckled behind her, almost giving the intention that he was challenging her. Harley scowled and realised he was playing a game with her. "Well, you're definitely underestimating me, then—now, can you let go of me now? You're _hurting_ my fucking arms. Or do I need to cook you a steak first to prove myself?"

"Steak would b' good righ' now."

"_Fuck_ off."

The stranger laughed again, amused by her feisty personality. "Alrigh' girl, I'mma let go of ya know. Ya goin' ta turn around nice 'n slow, 'n don' do anythin' stupid or I'll have ta kill ya. Soon as ya turned r'ound, ya goin' ta drop all 'r ya weapons."

Harley nodded and swallowed the lump that was stuck in her throat. The stranger seemed to be a very large man, but as soon as the stranger let go of her and she slowly turned around with her hands raised in the air, she nearly choked at the sight of the man.

The man was probably in his mid 40's, a large man and very muscled. But that wasn't the only reason why she was staring at him like the way she did; his right hand was replaced by a piece of metal with a knife on top. Harley felt a shiver running down her spine, and the stranger had noticed the expression in her eyes. "That's right princess, take a _long_ good stare. Ain' seein' men like this these days now huh?" he smirked. Harley stared with her brown eyes into his blue ones, and she noticed the widened pupils. _Drugs. _

_Are you fucking kidding me?_ she thought mockingly.

"Well, continue tha show princess. Off with dem' weapons." he growled. Harley startled and took the knife from behind her belt first. She let it fall on the ground while feeling the guy's stare linger on her. Next, she took the leg strap from her left arm and the one from her right leg. She then dropped the 2 holsters. Meanwhile, the stranger looked at her with a quite surprised look on his face. _That's right motherfucker, keep watching._

When she grabbed the small knife sheath out of her bra, she almost heard him moan under his breath. Harley chewed on the inside of her cheek and grabbed another knife that was clamped her belt on her back.

There was a long silence.

"Ya finished?" the stranger asked with a frustrated undertone in his voice.

Harley smirked. "No."

The stranger watched in disbelief when Harley grabbed the plastic polybag out of her backpocket, that was filled with white pellets. The guy's eyes widened, but soon he furrowed his eyebrows. "Tha fuck 's tha'?" he wondered out loud. Harley shrugged. "Rat poison. Leaves no traces. The perfect solution of an innocent murder. Or perhaps if _someone_ catches you and you manage to get a grip on their dinner." she chuckled, amused by his sudden change of facial expression. The man shook his head. "Not sure if ya jus' a twisted fuck or a hot piece of—" "—_watch_ your tongue," she warned while lifting her finger. The stranger growled something to himself.

"So, ya goin' ta share ya name now princess?" he asked while he slowly stepped forward. Harley rolled her eyes and decided it wouldn't be a big deal to give him her name atleast, even though the man was rude as fuck. "Harley."

"Well_ Harley_, my name's Merle."


	2. Chapter 2

"Jus' keep movin' princess. C'mon now, that's it."

They were walking to _God knows where_, while Merle occasionally pushed her back in encouragement. Her hands were tied together with a ty rap.

Her wrists were aching badly, but no matter how much she pleaded, he wouldn't remove the ty rap. After he had grabbed her weapons, he had pinned her to the ground and tied her hands together, though it surprised Harley that he was actually treating her with more respect. After she had found out that he's just _always_ like this, and that it wasn't just because of the woman's presence.

"Are you going to let me go now?"

"No."

"Where the fuck are you even taking me?"

"_Easy_ princess, Ol' Merle ain' gonn' do ya no harm. Jus' goin' ta bring ya somewhere, 's all." he replied while holding her left arm. Harley rolled her eyes and blew a strand of hair out of her face. "And where's that?" she asked curiously. Honestly, she wanted to continue as soon as possible. Even though the guy wasn't that much of a dick, she was in no way interested in meeting his group, or whoever the fuck it was he was travelling with. "If you're going to kill me; why not just do it now? And believe me, don't even_ think_ of touching me, because you will regret it _big_ time."

He halted and grasped her arm. When he turned her roughly around, she could see the anger in his eyes and feel the warmth radiating off his skin. "_Careful_ darlin', ya startin' ta piss me off. Like I told ya, jus' _shut_ ya mouth 'til we get there, alrigh'? Jus' 'cuz I look like a tough cookie doesn' mean I'm som' kin' of murderer or rapist, or whateva' tha fuck ya think I am. Trus' me, if I wanted ya _dead,_ we wouldn' be _chattin_' right now."

Harley nodded, quite afraid because of the sudden change in his voice. He shoved her forward again.

They walked for what seemed to be 1 hour. Harley and Merle never really talked to each other, except when he warned her if a rock was blocking their path and that she should be careful.

"Tha fuck, Merle?! Ya sneakin' off ta kidnap random woman now?!"

They both turned around when they heard the growling voice. Harley expected Merle to drew his weapon, but he seemed quite amused by the man who struggled out of the bushes. His face was muddy, just like his brown hair, and his bare arms had some scratches on them. A crossbow was hung around his left shoulder and he was holding a rope with a bunch of squirrels attached to it.

Merle licked his lips. "Ya got a problem with tha', Darylina? She ain' protestin', ya see?" he chuckled. To prove his point, he lifted Harley's chin up and stroked her cheek with his thumb. _"Back the_ fuck_ off_." Harley growled in her lower voice. Merle snapped his hand back and smirked teasingly. He turned back to the other man again. "Feisty one, ain' it?"

The man rolled his eyes at Merle. "Whatever." he replied casually while biting his thumb. Merle looked at Harley again. "Harley, meet my baby brotha Daryl. Daryl, meet Harley."

Daryl and Harley locked eyes for a brief moment, until Harley looked away in frustration. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible; if_ they_ were brothers, god knows if they had a whole bunch of redneck folks in a camp somewhere. Harley didn't feel like interacting with these rude people at all. "So, ya wann' take 'er back ta Rick, that it?" Daryl scowled. Merle nodded and licked his lips. "Maybe she from Woodbury. Maybe she som' kinda spy from tha governor." Merle replied, while Harley noticed how his tone suddenly changed to completely honest and serious. Harley raised her eyebrows. _"Woodbury_?" she repeated puzzled. Merle and Daryl both looked at her. "Don'tcha worry princess, nothin' goin' ta 'appen. Jus' need ta fin' out if yer a spy, is all." Merle explained with a grin. Harley shook her head. "What the hell is a woodbury?"

Daryl adjusted the crossbow on his shoulder and started to walk away. "Where ya goin' Darylina?! Lost ya balls 'n sense a talkin'?" he yelled after his brother, who was ignoring him at first. Merle tugged at the ty straps from Harley and they followed him, while Harley was becoming more and more pissed at these guys for ruining her plan. _Plan_, she thought mockingly, _I'm underfed and disoriented and yet I'm willing to risk my life in order to play assassin._ She thought of the group who had killed her family.

"She got no idea what ya talkin' bout, Merle! Ya really wann' continue 'n take 'er with us? Tha fuck we supposed ta do? Jus' another damn mouth ta feed!" Daryl spat at his brother, who shook his head and growled in frustration. "Ya really thinkin' 'bout people like tha', ya should learn ta know tha difference 'tween liars 'n people tellin' tha truth. For all we know, she from som' other group who 'r eatin' people—" "That's fucking disgusting and psychopathic. Do I look like one to you?!" Harley screamed, causing Merle and Daryl to look at her in shock. Merle grinned. "Well, ya tell me. Yer tha one who 'ad tha fuckin' rat poison on 'er. Not ta mention all tha fuckin' weapons ya carryin' with ya." Merle chuckled darkly. Daryl looked at his older brother in question and turned his glance to Harley then. Harley rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to explain myself to you people, I didn't ask for this shit to happen. Just let me go and we'll_ both_ be happy." she hissed while looking at both men. Daryl and Merle exchanged a look. "Now tha' would jus' totally ruin my day princess. Just found ya an' ya already want ta leave ol' Merle? Don'tcha wann' join us fo' a nice cup of tea 'n some fresh veggies, p'haps?" Merle said teasingly, knowing Harley's last meal wasn't much of a feast to say the least. Harley bit her tongue while trying to distract herself. The last thing she wanted to think about was food; Merle was trying to bribe her and she knew it.

_How the fuck are you going to make it 5 miles with an empty stomach_, a voice suddenly said in the back of her mind.

Harley shook her head and shot an angry look at Merle before moving forward.

Merle laughed while looking at her. Daryl looked around at his brother and offered him an annoyed glance. "See?! Ain' nobody goin' ta refuse a nice hot meal."


	3. Chapter 3

Sweat was dripping from her forehead while her white tanktop was sticking to her sweaty skin. The youngest Dixon walked ahead of them, while the oldest walked closely behind Harley. The ty strap was stinging around her wrists, and yet Merle refused to cut the strap loose. They had argued at first; Harley had screamed at Merle for not taking the plastic thing off and Merle had shouted back at her to shut up, because she would attract walkers with her yelling. Daryl had only looked at the two; he was frustrated at first and annoyed by his brother for taking the girl with them, and for treating her like she was some sort of serial killer. Eventually, he just looked at them with an amused smirk around his lips.

"We almost there yet?" Harley panted as she struggled to lift her legs up, because of the burning pain in her muscles. Daryl sighed and turned around. "Almost. Why, ya need a _palanquin_ or somethin'?" he mocked, in which Harley rolled her eyes. Merle whistled and they turned around. He smirked when he saw their shocked faces. "We better take som' rest fo' now. Drink som' water 'n eat somethin'." he chuckled and looked at Harley. The girl's eyes grew wide at the mention of food. Daryl sighed. "Ya really wann' stop now? 'S almost gettin' dark." Daryl said, while he gazed at the air as if the clock was hanging there. Merle grinned. "Why Darylina, ya _afraid_ of tha darkness? Wann' me ta read ya a bedtime story?" he said, while he walked towards a tree and dragged Harley along with him by pulling the ty straps. "Fuck you." Daryl grumbled while he walked over to a log. He dragged it to where Merle and Harley were. Daryl looked at Harley and pointed at the log. "Sit down." he murmered, while Harley raised her eyebrows at him. Daryl clucked his tongue. "Ya walkin' like a crippled _foal._" he explained, while Harley was staring at the log like it was some sort of throne. Harley shrugged and sat down, gasping from joy when she felt the muscles relax. Daryl shook his head and grumbled '_sissy_' under his breath while he started to gather some wood for a fire.

Daryl was looking at her with a slight amused glance in his eyes, while Merle was looking at her with lust. Harley avoided both the Dixon's while she devoured the squirrels and veggies on her plate. After a while she realised they were still looking at her with some kind of curiousity. "_What_?" she managed to say with her mouth full of squirrel. "Ya be eatin' like haven' 'ad a decent meal in weeks," Merle chuckled, "—princess, ya got somethin' over _there_." He pointed to the corner of his mouth and Harley furrowed her eyebrows, but then realised what he meant. She chewed the squirrel and swallowed it. A black rag was tossed at her and Harley nodded at Daryl as a thanks, while wiping off the grease. She continued to eat more decently after that.

"So, ya goin' ta tell us tha story 'bout how ya ended up all by y'self?"

Harley looked at Merle while she tried to remove the cap from the bottle of water. However, her hands, which were still tied, made it almost impossible. Daryl licked the grease from his fingers before he stood up and grabbed the bottle out of her lap. He removed the cap and returned it to her, though she couldn't lift it up herself because of the tightness from the ty rap. Harley rolled her eyes. "If you just _cut_ this shit loose, I can actually feed myself and drink like a decent human being, instead of feeling like a frigging _handicapped_ person." she hissed, eyeing both Daryl and Merle. Merle pouted his lips and threw the remains of his meal into the flames. "Sorry darlin', can't risk tha'. Don' want'cha ta go runnin' off now do we?" he replied with a neutral tone. Harley sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "Would I need ty raps to prevent me from doing that? You didn't bind my legs together, _smart ass_." she snapped back. Daryl chuckled under his breath at the outburst of the girl. Harley continued to glare at Merle, who was looking at her with an annoyed expression. "Got a mouth on ya girl, best show som' grattitude for me_ savin_' yer ass." he fired back at her while he pointed his knife hand at her. Harley squeezed her eyes together. "_Thank_ you." she mocked. "So you saved me just to keep me as a _prisoner?_ Is that it?"

"—Can ya jus' _both_ shut yer _goddamn mouths_ for_ one_ fuckin' second, I'm hearin' somethin'." Daryl said, hushing his voice and lifting his hand. Merle listened as well, while Harley was still angry at him for treating her like a criminal. But then, she heard the noise too. It was probably a few miles away, but the muffled voices were loud enough for him to hear.

The voices died away soon and the Dixon brothers were exchanging looks as if they were communicating in some sort of secret language. Harley looked at them and shook her head.

"Well, I gotta pee. Can you cut this thing off?" she said, gesturing at the ty raps. Merle gave her a grin in response. "Wouldn' mind helpin' ya with tha'." he said with a wink. However in the blink of an eye, the younger Dixon grabbed his knife in cut the ty raps. Before Merle could possible do or say anything, Harley's hands were already free again. She rubbed her wrists, that were now showing red welts, and gasped with relief. Merle pressed his lips together and seemed to become angry. "Ya be _fuckin_' with me?!" he yelled at Daryl, who shoved his knife back into the leather sheath. Daryl didn't response. Daryl looked at Harley, who looked back at him. She winked at him as a thanks before she stood up. Daryl nodded at her in response. Merle stood up and grasped Harleys arm. "Where ya think ya goin' princess?" he rasped. Harley clenched his wrist with her free hand. "To feed the birds. Where the fuck do you think I'm going?! Told you I had to pee." she replied casually. Merle bit his lower lip when she was holding his wrist. "Look at ya, huh, all strong 'n fierce. Ya should be happy that ya 'ave a pretty face, else I wouldn' like ya so much." he said mockingly as he let go of her.

Harley rolled her eyes and turned around, though Merle grabbed her again. She turned around and started to become pissed, however the homicidal feeling disappeared when he gave her one of her knives. "Case ya runnin' into one 'f those pretty thangs." he explained calmly. Harley nodded and smiled slightly before walking further into the woods.

When she was finished, she stood up and walked back to the camp again. Though when almost made it back, she noticed the fire was had gone out, as well as the supplies and weapons were missing.

_What the hell?—_

Someone tackled her onto the ground, behind a berm. When she wanted to yell, a rough hand covered her mouth. "_Sssh_, jus' me." a familiar voice said. She turned around quietly and saw it was Daryl. The sudden noise next to her confirmed Merle's presence and he winked at her while staying as low as possible. The three of them lay on their stomach on the ground and Harley wondered what they were hiding from.

It took a moment before she noticed the sound of human voices. They came closer, and soon they were standing on their camping spot.

She tried to look at the people. _There were only men_, she realised, as she tried to listen to their muffled voices. Harley couldn't clearly hear what they were saying, but she perked her ears up in an attempt to listen.

When she looked at the men's faces, her heartbeat was throbbing in her throat.

Her blood was starting to boil and she felt like she was going to throw up. She immediately touched the sheath on her back and felt the coolness of the metal touch her skin.

_The murderers of her family were standing in front of them._


	4. Chapter 4

In the heat of the moment, she wanted to scream and stab them repeatedly. In that moment she wanted to humiliate them, as they had humiliated her family. She wanted to make them suffer as they had done to her parents. She wanted to hear them scream like they had made her sister scream.

_—If it weren't for the two hands that were holding her down and pinning her against the ground._

Merle and Daryl both needed to lean against her in order to keep her down, while Daryl covered her mouth with his one hand and pushed her down with the other. Merle was doing the same with his own hand, while he watched the men in front of them. They were a few meters away from them, so the men possibly couldn't hear Harley's struggling. But _still,_ they were in a tricky situation; there were 9 men, so they were _obviously_ outnumbered, which made it more dangerous.

Merle brought his lips to her ear. "Listen now sweethear', ya need ta keep ya mouth shut if ya ain' wann' get us killed." he whispered, causing Harley to relax immediately. Merle scowled when he realised how fast he had managed to calm her down.

It took a moment for both the Dixon's to realise that Harley was crying.

Daryl's hand still covered her mouth, so her sobbing were muffled. Merle kept watch as the men were walking towards the opposite direction of where they had came from; they were safe. Both Dixon brothers continued to press her down, until they were actually sure that the men had left the area.

Merle and Daryl exchanged a look. Merle nodded, and they let go of her. Harley didn't move at first.

The Dixon's stood up and looked awkwardly at the girl, until she stood up herself. The tears were still visible on her cheeks, and she suddenly picked the knife from its sheath. She lifted the knife and distanced herself from the Dixon's. "What now, princess? Ya got som' issues we shud know of?" Merle rasped while watching her closely. Harley bit her lip and dropped the knife on the ground in defeat. Merle didn't hesitate and grabbed it right away. The girl turned to Daryl and started to punch him on his chest. Merle only watched and shrugged, though Daryl took hold of both her wrists. "What tha fuck?!" Daryl exclaimed while staring at her. "You piece of _shit_! Why the fuck didn't you let go of me?! I could've killed them easily, asshole!"

Daryl raised her eyebrows and growled something under his breath. "Let go of me!" she cried while she tried to break free from his grasp.

Merle took a few steps forward and put a hand on her shoulder. He squeezed it. "What tha hell ya think this is? Calm down princess, this ain't no _tea_ party. We were outnumbered."

Harley ignored him while she saw the images of her dead family in her head. "I could have _killed_ them," she sobbed. Daryl shook his head. "Crazy _bitch_ right 'ere, ya still wann' take 'er ta Rick?" he grumbled while looking at Merle. Merle shook his head. He was not sure what to do with Harley. "Why dont'cha tell me what happened, princess. Why d'ya wann' kill dem _sumbitches_ so badly, huh?" Merle wondered while walking over to Harley, who rubbed her eyes. She looked up at Merle and shook her head. "Like _hell_ I'm going to tell you guys. I just fucking _met_ you. Why don't you both just leave me alone?!"

The girl turned around and walked away into the same direction as the men who had killed her family. She didn't turn around, leaving Merle and Daryl behind in utter surprise.

_Fuck them_, she growled in thought while she quickened her pace.

"Cute lil' thing like you with only 'er knife ta protect 'erself with. Ya ain't even got water 'r food, dont'cha think that's kin' of reckless?!"

Harley halted when she heard the screaming voice behind her. She pressed her lips together and massaged her temple with her hands. _He was right_. No matter _how_ badly she wanted to punch the twat, he was right.

The girl turned around. Daryl had already seemed to given up hope, as he shook his head and turned around while taking the crossbow in his arms. "Lets go Merle, stupid bitch wants ta die that's _fine_ by me. I ain't grieving." he called out after his brother, whose gaze still lingered on Harley. Harley rolled her eyes and walked back to Merle. He smirked in satisfaction.

"Give me back my weapons, ammo and supplies." Harley said calmly while glancing at Merle. "Which supplies we talkin' bout princess?" Merle scoffed, causing Harley to pull out the knife and press it against Merle's throat. "I'm not playing _games_ with you. Give me back my stuff."

Merle only looked amused at her. "Ya sure as hell _are_ feisty. But no, ya ain't getting back yer stuff."

Harley bit her lips in frustration. "Listen, you _little piece of_—"

"Put tha knife away or I'll blow ya brains out."

The crossbow was pressed against the back of her head and Harley startled. Merle looked at her with a slight amused expression on his face and he lifted his hands up. "My hands 'r clean on this one, darlin'." he mumbled teasingly. Harley lowered the knife and soon Merle's expression changed into frustration and anger. He grabbed Harley and tackled her as he pinned her down to the ground. The girl didn't protest and allowed the man to tie her hands together with a ty rap. This time, her hands were even tighter, and she realized he was using 3 more ty raps. "What the fuck?" she exclaimed while she tried to yank her hands away. However, Merle's grip was too strong. "So ya ain't goin' ta kill us in our sleep, crazy bitch." he explained with a growl.

Merle pulled the girl up her feet. "This wouldn't have happened if you would've just given me my stuff," Harley snorted while being pushed forward by Merle. It seemed like she really managed to piss them off this time. "Shut your fuckin' mouth, princess. Don't talk 'less I _ask_ ya to."


	5. Chapter 5

The plastic stung around her wrists and she was sure that it was bleeding.

They had walked for 3 hours, until they had reached a hill. As they stood on the hill, Harley gasped at the sight in front of them.

It was a prison. Merle and Daryl sure didn't sugarcoat it, when they had been talking about it during the journey. They had described the place briefly, as they didn't want to give too much details to Harley since they didn't really know her

A few walkers were outside the fence and Daryl readied his crossbow while Merle looked at Harley. He was still doubting whether to give the girl a weapon or not, since they needed to kill some of the walkers in order to make it safely back inside the gates.

Daryl followed his brother's glance and rolled his eyes. "Ya ain't fuckin' serious now are ya?" he snapped, while lifting the crossbow. Merle turned around and offered Daryl an annoyed look. "What, ya got som' brilliant idea I should know of, Darylina? Open yer fuckin' eyes brotha, we ain't capable of protectin' 'er when we passin' that field." he gestured at the green field in front of them. Daryl shook his head. "Then let 'er go. Whad'dya want with 'er anyway?"

Merle took hold of Harley's hands, who had silently listened to their conversation. "Maybe she knows somethin'." Merle said quietly. He cut the straps loose and eyed Harley as she rubbed her sore wrists.

"Now girl, ya goin' ta behave or does ol' Merle need ta give ya som' spankin'?"

Harley looked at Merle and bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to stay calm. "Thanks, but I think I can manage." she simply replied. Merle smirked and gave the girl her backpack. Harley opened it and took 3 knives out. She put one behind her belt, one in her leg strap and one on her back. She also grabbed a holster and attached it to her belt. "Try runnin' off and mah baby brotha here will put 'n arrow through ya pretty lil' head. And we wouldn' want that now, would we?" Merle said calmly. Harley met his glance and shook her head.

"Well, unless we waitin' for tha taxi ta bring us, we better get our asses movin'." said the younger Dixon, while he started to lose his patience. Merle chucked and gave Harley a gentle shove. "Off we go then, princess."

The three of them walked down first, until the walkers noticed them. They ran towards the gates while the walkers neared them.

Merle moved forward, while Daryl shot an arrow to a walker closeby. Harley stabbed a walker that staggered towards Daryl's back. He looked around when he heard the thud of the body hitting the ground and nodded to Harley as a thanks. She nodded back and continued to stab more walkers.

A young looking woman with short hair appeared and opened the gate along with a short boy. "Go go go!" Daryl yelled while running towards the gate opening. Merle looked around. "Jus' when I was started ta 'ave some fun here!" he yelled while he tried to fight off 4 different walkers. When he managed to kill 2 of them, he ran after his brother. Merle was clearly exhausted, since he already had killed a whole bunch of them. Harley followed Daryl towards the gate opening. "Merle ya sumbitch, get yer ass over 'ere!" Daryl exclaimed, while Merle stabbed another walker on the way. "Can't ya see I'm busy Darylina?! I ain't got tentacles ta fight them off!" Merle yelled in return while he held a walkers neck and shoved his knife hand through its right eye. "Aye ya ugly fuck, got somethin' in yer eye?" he chuckled while he yanked his hand back. "Alrigh' baby brotha, bringin' tha party ta ya now."

Merle moved back and forth while tried to kill as many walkers on the way as possible, until he reached the gate. He ran through the opening and the woman and boy closed the gate right away.

Merle panted and looked at Daryl. "Couldn' ya see I was busy?! Might s'well help me out a lil' next time huh?!" he growled while raising his hand. Daryl didn't say anything as his face went blank, and he nodded in reply.

The young woman turned to Harley. "Who's this?" she asked curiously, while she examined the girl. The little boy walked towards the four of them and noticed Harley as well. Harley frowned. "I'm Harley." she said calmly. The woman's face softened when she realised Harley didn't seem like a serious threat. "I'm Maggie." she offered in return. Hesitating, Harley offered Maggie her hand, who shook it right away. "Ya from around?" Maggie asked quietly. Harley wanted to open her mouth to say something, but Merle was ahead of her. "Found 'er in tha woods, but we'll talk 'bout tha' later. Ya wann' do us a favor darlin', can ya get Rick for us?"

Maggie's face turned to anger when she heard the older Dixon speak. She looked up at him. "Since when do I 'ave ta take orders from ya?" she snapped. Merle clenched his fists, but Daryl tapped on his arm and gave him a cautioning look. He then looked at Maggie. Maggie answered his glance and nodded before turning around.

"Why the hell did you bring her here?"

They turned around to look at the young kid, whose eyes were barely visible because of the sheriff's hat he wore. "She might know somethin'." Daryl answered bleakly. Harley looked at the boy but he avoided her glance. "Something we don't know yet? Is that '_something_' going to help us kill the governor?" he scowled. Merle heaved a sigh. "Look, kid. Why dont'cha go inside 'n fetch ya dad for me huh? Let the _grown ups_ take care 'o this one."

The boy shook his head. "Get him yourself."

And with those words, he turned around and walked into the direction of the big building.

Merle bit his lower lip in frustration. "Why tha' little piece of—" "—calm tha fuck down, he just goin' thru a phase, 's all."

Daryl looked at Merle, who was still watching the kid. He shook his head and grabbed Harley's left arm. "Le's go princess."


	6. Chapter 6

They entered the building, and Daryl and Merle walked off towards cellblock C. Harley wanted to follow them, but Merle turned around. "No," he said, "wait 'ere."

Harley rolled her eyes and watched them walk away. She allowed herself to sit on a nearby bench, and took in her surrounding.

This place was almost too good to be true.

It was safe and secure; there were cells to sleep in and towers to keep watch in, and Harley was sure that there had to be a food storage in a cafetaria somewhere. She imagined all the trouble these people must've been through in order to get this prison; there should've been a hundred walkers here, to say the least.

Only 10 minutes passed until 6 men appeared. They approached her and Harley stood up awkwardly.

"So ya must be Harley then." a man stated. He was around his thirties, with dark hair and stubble. The dark circles under his eyes made him look older. "I'm Rick," he pondered. He gestured at the men next to him. "That's Shane, Dale, and Hershel."

Harley nodded once as a greeting. Hershel and Dale offered her a sad smile, while Shane only nodded back with a blank face. "We goin' ta ask ya som' questions, ta make sure ya ain't a threat. That okay?" Rick asked. He seemed to feel quite uncomfortable with the stranger, but he managed to calm Harley down. He didn't look bad or anything, she thought, while she nodded at him.

She took the holster from her belt. Shane immediately grabbed his gun. Harley rolled her eyes and stopped. She walked to a nearby table and laid the holster on the table. She then grabbed the three knives.

Hesitating, she lowered herself onto her knees and grabbed 2 small sheaths out of her boots. Merle's mouth turned into an 'o' while the younger Dixon rubbed his eyes in frustration. They turned to whisper at each other in disbelief. Harley smirked and walked back towards the men.

"Mind if I give ya body search?"

Harley looked at Shane, who scowled at her. Harley raised her eyebrows at him, but Merle was the one to speak. "Now I don't think 'at's necessary. Already gave Lara Croft 'ere a search in tha woods." When Harley looked at him, he winked at her. Harley hid the grin and shook her head. Shane, however, was not convinced. "Well seems ta me ya ain't searched 'er well, judgin' from those knives in 'er boots."

Merle looked at Rick for back up, but he only sighed and nodded. "Can't put tha group on risk. We don't know 'er." Rick mumbled sadly while locking eyes with Harley for a brief moment.

Shane stepped forward and grabbed Harley's arm. He put her against the wall before Harley could possibly do or say anything, and performed the body search. For some reason, Harley felt extremely uncomfortable under his touch, yet she kept her mouth shut. "Clear."

She turned around and gave Shane an frustrated and arrogant glance. Shane wasn't affected by this, while Merle chuckled from amusement.

"So, why don't we all take a seat?" Hershel said while he nodded at the table in the middle. "Y'all just wann' 'ave a nice chit-chat, while 'er group could be outta there spyin' on us an' waitin' ta attack?" Shane snapped while he looked at Rick. Rick raised his hand. "Shane, calm down. Screamin' ain't goin' ta get us anywhere." he sighed.

"We been with 'er for one 'n a half day. She ain' a threat, just a lil' bit feisty, 's all."

Everyone looked at Merle.

"Found 'er bein' attacked by a walker. When I killed tha sumbitch, I made sure she wouldn' attack me. Managed ta piss 'er off a bit, so I guess 'er outbursts 'r mah own fault."

Harley laughed. They turned to look at Harley.

"Sorry." she said embarrased as the turned her face away. Daryl smirked.

"I'm sure princess ain't gonna do no harm ta anyone." Merle continued while he ignored her laughter. He looked at Rick.

"I agree with Hershel. Why don't we all take a seat, so we can relax a little bit. I am sure that Harley here would like to rest her legs a little bit, as for Merle and Daryl." Dale spoke suddenly. Merle nodded at him as a thanks. They eventually sat down on the bench, Harley between Merle and Daryl. She flinched at first, when she was squeezed between the two men, but relaxed eventually.

"So, Harley, I think everyone here is wondering; are or were you with a group?" Dale asked with a friendly tone. Harley forced herself to smile at the man and his calming voice. "No, I wasn't. Though I was with my family for months, but I ended up alone." she replied, ignoring the look Shane was giving her. Rick nodded. "Ya killed walkers?" he asked. Everyone was paying their full attention now. Harley frowned. "Yes.. Why?" she replied, thinking about how stupid that question actually was. "How many?" Rick continued. Harley shrugged. "I don't know. 50? 100? 500? Who knows?"

Rick gave her a satisfying look before continuing.

"Ya killed humans?"

Harley shook her head. "No."

Suddenly, they all stood up. Rick nodded at Harley and turned around. They walked back into the cellblock again. Merle and Daryl stood up as well. When Daryl saw her questioning look, he sighed. "Goin' ta 'ave ta discuss whether we goin' ta let ya stay with us 'r not." he said, answering her thoughts. Harley pressed her lips together. "Who the fuck says I want to stay with you? I just want my weapons and supplies, and I'll be on my way."

Merle walked towards the girl and lowered himself on the ground, leaving their faces only a few inches away from eachother. "Listen now princess, we doin' ya a favor 'ere, dont'cha go ruinin' that on us. Like I said, ya ain' got nothin' out there, ya might s'well stay." he grumbled in his lower voice. Harley sighed.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Just leave 'er be." he sighed. Merle turned around. "Ya _dumb_? Governor has shitload more people than these pussies 'ere. We need all tha people we can get, Darylina." he growled back. Daryl understood right away and nodded. Harley raised her eyebrows. "Governor?" she repeated sheepish. Merle shook his head and gently squeezed her shoulder. "Another time princess, we gotta get ya a residence permit first, alrigh'?" he smirked. Harley nodded.

Merle stood up and followed his brother towards the cellblock. Daryl turned around and gave Harley a reassuring nod.


	7. Chapter 7

The hushed voices in the distance snapped her back to reality. Harley looked up and cursed when she realised she had fallen asleep.

_"—should bring it to her. Harley isn't a bad person, or whatsoever. She was alone—" "I don't care. You want to let her stay, you should all guard and feed her yourself! I didn't vote for her to stay!" _

Harley listened to the muffled voices and tried to peep through her brown hair. After a while, she realised it were Hershel and Carl. She rolled her eyes.

"Well my dear, I'm sure you must be hungry by now."

She looked up when she heard the old man's voice. He reminded her of her own grandpa, with his soothing voice and wise words. His first impression made him appear like a loyal man. The kind of man who would put his family first over himself.

Harley smiled. "I guess you could say that." she replied. Hershel smiled sadly and gestured at the empty bench opposite of her. "May I?" he asked while he put down the plate and spoon on the table. Harley's mouth watered at the sight of the macaroni. "Ofcourse." she said, while she took the spoon in her hands. Harley folded her hands and closed her eyes for a few minutes. When she was done, she felt the old man's gaze linger on her. She chewed on a bite of macaroni. "Such a beautiful thing, to see a woman your age still having faith, even with the mess we are now living in." Hershel said calmly. Harley remained silent for a short while before replying to the man. "Well, honestly, I'm not sure what I'm praying for. I don't even know if someone hears me, but I guess having faith is important. Especially nowadays." Harley responded while inspecting her macaroni. Hershel smiled. "I fully agree, child. What point is there in surviving if there's no hope?" Hershel wondered to no one in particular. There was a silence, and Harley continued to eat her meal. "I am amazed by the fact you survived this long on your own. Forgive me for asking, but what happened to your family?"

Harley knew he was asking this for Rick and perhaps the other guys. She couldn't blame them, though. In their position, she probably would've done the same. She was already relieved with the fact that this group was a harmless group. The previous group she had been with was quite a different story. "Dead." she said with a blank face. Hershel sighed. "I am so sorry my dear. I don't want to pressure you, so if you ever need to talk about it.." he paused. Harley nodded as she knew what he meant. She decided that she liked Hershel. For some reason, she felt comfortable in his presence._ Which she couldn't say with Shane_. "It's alright, thanks. I really do appreciate it." Harley replied. The man smiled and stood up. "Well, I'll let you eat in silence. Enjoy your meal."

Harley nodded. "Thank you." she smiled, while he gave her one last glance. When she was alone again, she continued to eat in peace. How much time had passed since the men had introduced themselves? Harley had no idea how to calculate the time, when she didn't have a watch or anything. Not to mention, she couldn't see the sun either, only a small ray of light through the high windows.

"Goodmornin', princess."

The familiar raspy voice startled her, and she turned around to find the source. Merle looked at her with a dark grin on his face and Harley rolled her eyes. "Now dont'cha go rollin' dem eyes at me, girl." he said while he walked towards the table. Harley sighed. "Any idea when you guys are letting me go?" she asked harshly, while trying to remember how the murderers looked like. Merle snorted. "Told ya yesterday darlin', ya ain't leavin' us yet." he replied casually when he sat down next to her. Harley squeezed her eyes together while she tried to control her temper. All she wanted to do was punch him in the face, but she knew she couldn't. The fact that he had saved her life stopped her from doing it. "Why not?" she wondered blankly. Harley thought about last night, when Merle talked about "the governor". Merle studied her face as if he knew what she was thinking about. "Alrigh' princess, I'm goin' ta tell ya 'bout why we's brought ya 'ere in tha first place." Merle said, while heaving a sigh. Harley nodded. "And can I leave afterwards, if you won't be able to convince me?" she asked sheepish. Merle pressed his lips together and closed his eyes in frustration. "_Maybe_." he said after a short pause. "There's a town no' far from 'ere. Got 'bout 50 people or so,—" "Wait, _actual_ people?!"

Merle scowled. "Girl, dont'cha interrupt ol' Merle durin' his speakin' time. Questions later." he growled. Harley giggled. "Sorry."

"Alrigh', so a town. Tha leader there calls 'imself tha governor. Guy be mental 'n all tha' shit. Goes manipulatin' all ovah tha damn place. Performs a lil' show tha' he's som' kin' of good Samaritan, while he 'ctually be messed up to tha bone. I was workin' fo' him fo' quite a long time, fo' he kicked me out 'n be accusin' me of betrayal. Hell, I ain' gave a shit. He wanted me 'n Daryl ta fight to tha death. Luckily fo' us, officer friendly 'n his group 'o puppets came hollin' at us, savin' tha day as tha _perfect_ sumbitch he is."

Merle paused and looked at Harley, who listened to every single word he said. _A town. A governor. Survivors_. But he's nuts. Why the hell was Harley getting involved with all of this? She didn't know the governor in the first place. For all she knew, Merle could be the manipulating guy here.

Merle rolled his eyes when he seemed to be reading her mind. "Oh c'mon princess, ya gotta be fuckin' wi' me!" he exclaimed, clearly annoyed. Harley rubbed her eyes. "With all due respect, I know you for what,—2 days? Did you really expect me react compassionate right away?" she fired back. Merle gripped her knee with his good hand. "Now listen carefully princess, I ain' give a flyin' fuck 'bout dem pussies 'ere. Only reason 'm stayin', is 'cuz my baby brotha has developed som' kin' of empathy fo' dese people. Sooner we done, tha better. I just wann' leave 'n survive on mah own, 's all, jus' like befo' shit went down—"

Their conversation was interrupted by a shriek. Merle and Harley looked up with confusion, eyeing each other as if they were frozen on the spot. "Well, talkin' bout tha devil." Merle growled as he stood up. Harley stood up as well and followed him to the cellblock. Daryl appeared in front of her and blocked her way. Harley bit the inside of her cheek. "Oh for fucks sake man, you really think I'm some kind of murderer?! Trust me, I ain't that stupid; I would have killed you guys in the _blink_ of an _eye_ in the woods, if that was the case!" Harley yelled. Daryl's eyes widened in utter shock and nodded once before he ran to the girl that had shouted. Harley examined her surrounding and saw the cells. When she saw all of her weapons lying on a desk in the first cell, she didn't hesitate and grabbed all of them. She put them where they belonged and held a knife in her hand.

Harley ran through the hallway and opened a door, while she tried to let herself guide by the muffled screaming.

When she felt the warm breeze lick her skin, she saw the herd of walkers that were trying to get a grip of the human flesh that was now standing before them.


	8. Chapter 8

There were two things that Harley knew for sure.

One, she shouldn't have been so stupid to open a damn door in a building she didn't even knew.

Two, she shouldn't have been so stupid to close a door behind her, that could only be opened from the inside out.

Regardless of all that, she was relieved about the fact that she had gathered all her weapons not so long ago, but even a _shotgun_ couldn't save her ass now; there were about 19 walkers and they all had noticed her as they staggered towards the small girl. Harley felt her mouth dry out and she clutched the knife tightly between her palm. Her breathing accelerated and she felt like she was going to puke. Was this how her life was going to end? Locked up outside with a bunch of walkers, without someone knowing she was there in the first place? She had gotten _so_ far and she had literally thrown her life away by being so stubborn. Merle had basically saved her life for nothing. Not to mention, these people, who weren't bad people at all, were actually considering to accept her into their group. While all Harley thought about, was killing the murderers of her family. Would she really be satisfied with killing them?

_Yes_, she scoffed. Yes she would.

And so, Harley stepped forward and started to stab a few walkers. But only soon she realised, she'd be dead in minutes, since this way of killing was_ way_ too slow. She wondered why she wasn't using her gun; It wasn't like she would attract any more walkers with her gun firing in the first place.

Gun firing.

_Attract._

Harley gasped and grabbed the two guns out of her holster. If walkers could hear it, then maybe the people here would, too. Harley started firing with both of the guns in her hands, not missing a single shot every time she fired. What felt like an eternity, were actually only 2 minutes until the door behind her opened. "She in here!" A voice screamed behind her. Someone grabbed her around the middle and threw her backwards. Harley fell down, with her head against the stairs, and the door was closed before her. Black specks were dancing in front of her eyes and she touched the spot that was aching, only to find out that it was now bleeding. A figure kneeled down before her. "Ya tough sumbitch." she heard a familiar voice say, before he gently lifted her up. The person carried her into one of the cells, and Harley suddenly felt the soft textile underneath her. _A bed?_

She closed her eyes, but the person snapped his fingers in front of her and caused Harley to open her eyes again. "Don'tcha go sleepin' on me now, girl." he rasped, while he paced through the cell. "Hershel! Ya need ta look at lil' miss reckless 'ere. Hit 'er head 'gainst tha stairs!" Daryl yelled, before he walked back to Harley again. Harley's eyes were rolling and she felt paralyzed because of the sudden pain that shot through her head. "_Stay wi' me, girl._" she heard a voice say in the distance. Harley tried to fight it, not wanting to let the darkness take over her, but it was hard. The sudden weariness drew her body into a black hole, and she didn't have the strength to climb out of it.

"_Harley, it's Hershel. We're going to help you dear._"

Harley wanted to open her mouth, but she couldn't; it took too much effort.

Suddenly, a light was shining in her left eye. She saw Hershel, but couldn't do nor say anything.

"_Well, her reflexes are still working. She has a serious concussion and is in a shock. I need to wake her up every 15 minutes—" "—No, 's alrigh', I'll do it. I was tha one who pushed 'er 'gainst tha stairs in tha first place_."

Footsteps echoed through the cell and the voices faded away in the hallway. _"How did that happen?_" Hershel asked calmly. "_Dumb lil' donkey 'ere opened tha door 'n got 'erself closed in by dem walkers. 'Pparently tha' pansy pirate left us som' more walkers outside_."

It was then, when her mind shut itself down and her body flowed into unconsciousness.

Someone tapped her shoulder, and she slowly started to regain her consciousness again. Her eyelids felt heavier than ever and it felt like she had slept for 20 years. Opening her eyes was a struggle, since her body didn't cooperate.

The first face she saw was Daryl. He looked at her with an uncomfortable expression on his face. Harley tried to sit up straight, but Daryl held her down by pushing onto her shoulder. "Ya might not wann' do tha'." he said quietly. Harley raised her eyebrows. "_Why no_—oh good fucking lord." she gasped as she flinched from pain. Daryl chuckled. "Told ya."

Harley's hands touched her forehead and she found out it was wrapped in bandage. "_Great._ Now I look like a failed mummy." she wailed while she closed her eyes. Her head was still throbbing. "Well atleast ya fit in wi' dem assfaces outside." he said teasingly. Harley opened her eyes and Daryl offered her a glass of water. Harley nodded as a thanks and carefully took the glass. She sipped from it and glanced at Daryl. "Not to sound rude, but why are you here?"

Daryl's cheeks reddened and he gazed down at his hands. "Ya don' remember?" he asked uneasily. Harley shook her head, but immediately regretted that gesture when a pain shot through her neck. Daryl sighed. "Accidentally threw ya 'gainst tha stairs." he said with a hushed voice, as if it were a secret. Harley frowned. "_Accident?_ Or maybe you just wanted to get rid of me?" she teased. Daryl's eyes darted to her brown ones with an earnest expression. "Quit dem jokes, _girl._ Could've killed ya if you's hittin' dem head harder." he grumbled. Harley sighed. "But I didn't. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say you didn't do it on _purpose_, so quit the doom talking Dixon, before I'll kick your ass myself." she assured him, with a firm tone. Daryl snickered in response and suddenly another figure stepped into the cell. "What tha fuck, Darylina?! I'll leave yer ass 'lone fo' 5 minutes and ya be throwin' all dem woman 'round tha place?!"

Daryl looked up at his brother. "Was 'n accident." he said while he looked down again, as if he was hiding the shame. The way how Merle managed to tear the younger Dixon down in front of her eyes made her feel uneasy. Harley would've come out of bed to shove Merle away by now, if it weren't for the throbbing pain in the back of her head. "Yeah?! Well next time ya migh' wann' think 'bout 'n alternative, 'stead of gettin' people a concussion!" Merle screamed. Daryl didn't say anything. "Ya heard me, boy?!"

Daryl peeped up from under his long chestnut hair at Merle. He nodded. Merle scowled. "Good. We ain' gonn' get anywhere if all dem folks git injured. Need all tha help we can get. This was just 'n appetizer, about what's ta come." Merle said as he lowered his voice this time. After he had said that, he turned around and left them alone again.

Daryl sighed.

"Please don't listen to him. It was just—" "No, he were _right_. I should've bin more subtile." he interrupted her while he glanced at her. Harley rolled her eyes. "Well, Merle isn't me, so he should shut his mouth. For what I've seen from the last few days, he's an _asshole_." she breathed while she combed her long brown hair with her fingers. "He tha same asshole who saved yer ass in tha woods 2 days ago, missy. Dont'cha be talkin' shit 'bout mah brotha." Daryl snapped. Harley looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "_Excuse_ me? Yes, he _saved_ me, but _how_? He was being a complete sexist and an unrespectful_ jerk_." she replied while she tried to stay calm. Daryl, however, jumped out of his chair and pointed his finger at her. "An' how 'd tha' happen, huh?! Ya be th' one who got 'erself in tha' situation! 'N if ya would've jus' listen ta me 'n Merle in tha first place, you's wouldn' be lyin' 'ere righ' now!" Daryl shouted while he pierced his eyes into hers. Harley was taken aback by his sudden outburst, but she was starting to feel pissed herself. She wanted to open her mouth to say something, but instead, Daryl turned around. "Nevermin'. _Fuck_ this _shit_."

And just like that, she was left alone again.

* * *

**[A/N] Feedback very much appreciated. I'm always scared that I go OOC too much lmao. Let me know what you think about the story so far! I have some fun ideas. Xo**


	9. Chapter 9

The throbbing in the back of her head was already fading away , though Harley still felt nauseated. Hershel had demanded her to stay in bed, since she needed to get plenty of rest. Harley had protested at first, but knew somewhere in the back of her mind he was right.

One of her knives was resting on the small nightstand next to her bed, while she was holding another one in her hand. She had an old cloth in her other hand and she carefully cleaned her precious weapon. Even though it had no use, since the knives were pretty much clean already, but Harley needed something to do and occupy her mind. The argument between her and Daryl was still bothering her. Maybe she had crossed the line about the whole Merle situation, but surely it shouldn't be the first time for him to hear that his brother is a complete dick? Ofcourse, Merle had a.. _different_ personality, yet that was no excuse to act the way he did. Harley had heard how Merle talked about foreign people multiple times, and it made her feel sick. Not to mention, it _bothered_ her aswell, that someone could still fuss about skin colors during the fucking _apocalypse._

A blue pair of eyes were lingering on her; Harley could always tell when someone was staring at her. She heaved a sigh and laid her weapon down to grab the other one. "Why don't you just come in already. No need to stare at me like I'm some sort of animal. This ain't the _zoo_." she mumbled quietly. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see the figure move. He was obviously hesitating, as he eyed her in the cell opening, but eventually he walked inside. Harley looked up and met Carl's eyes while he watched her clean her weapon. "Why are you doing that?" he wondered, referring to her weapon. The arrogant tone in his voice made her roll her eyes, but then she realised he was only a kid, and probably going through a hectic puberty. "Don't have anything else to do." she explained as she looked down at her weapon. Carl waggled on his feet and gazed at the ground as if it were very interesting. "Well, you can sit down, I'm not going to _bite_ you or anything." Harley remarked, while watching the boy in uncomfortable silence. He seemed to doubt on whether to stay or not, but he sat down on the chair anyway. Harley sighed and put the knife away on the nightstand. "You shouldn't say that stuff about Daryl's family. I know Merle can be bit of an asshole and all that, but you have no right to talk about him like that when you only just met him 2 days ago."

It was more of a statement really, and Harley's mouth dropped at Carl's words. She wanted to say something, but instead she decided to keep her mouth shut. _Just a kid_, she reminded herself while clenching the textile underneath her. "You have family yourself, you should know that."

Harley shook her head at his next assertion.

"No, I don't." Harley said calmly while looking at the boy. Carl's eyes narrowed. "_Everyone_ has family." he said firmly. Harley looked away. "Well, I don't."

"Where are they?"

"Dead."

The silence spoke for itself, as it confirmed Carl's regret of saying all those words. "Oh. I—I'm.." Carl stuttered, taken aback by himself. Harley smiled sadly. "Its okay." she assured him with a hushed voice. Carl shook his head. "I'm sorry." he eventually managed to say. Harley shook her head and looked down at her hands. "How'd it happen?" Carl blurted out, not realizing what he was asking until he had finished the question. He covered his mouth. Harley looked up at him again. "They were murdered." he scoffed. Carl raised his eyebrows at this. "By _who_?"

Harley sat up straight and crossed her legs. She tapped on the empty spot on the bed and Carl looked at her with a confused expression. He got up and shuffled towards the empty spot. When he sat down, Harley turned around to look at him. "I was with a group, a long time ago." she admitted, feeling the lump in her throat grow since she had never spoken about it before. The boy perked his head, but when he noticed the hurt in her eyes, he dropped the murder topic.

"Do you miss them?"

Harley bit her lower lip. The question made all the horrible images of her dead family members vanish and conjure the joyful memories up instead. She smiled, while thinking about her youth. "Yes." she said sheepish. "My little sister most of all. She was an annoying little thing just like you." Harley teased, while she ruffled Carl's hair. He chuckled and gently slapped her hand away. Carl's grin soon disappeared and he looked compassionate now instead. "For what it's worth," he started, but he closed his mouth, two minded. ",you..you have _us_ now."

Harley felt the stinging liquid behind her eyes. She had only been here for 2 days, yet the people had been very welcoming towards her_. I should thank Merle for that later,_ she recalled to herself. Harley had no idea how to reply, so she only nodded and managed to offer him a soft smile.

"Alrigh' Carl, think it's best if ya would let Harley get some rest."

Carl turned around and they saw Rick standing in the cell opening. Harley grinned and Carl nodded. Rick raised his eyebrows in question while waiting for his son to leave. Carl got off the bed and walked towards the cell opening. However, he turned around and slowly walked back towards Harley. When he stood before her, Harley looked at him in confusion. Carl leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Harley for a slight moment. Before she could process what was happening, he had already turned around and left the cell.

Rick stepped forward and looked at Harley. "Sorry 'bout that. I heard him askin' som questions, but I was a lil' too late ta stop him."

The girl shook her head. "No, it's okay. He's a great kid. Thought he was going to _eat_ me at first, to be honest. But lucky for me he didn't." she replied softly at the man. Rick chuckled. "Lucky for you he didn'." he agreed. They never had a chance to have a decent conversation, she realised, when Rick gestured at the seat in question. Harley nodded and the man sat down in front of her. "Don' worry, not goin' ta ask 'bout all of that earlier." he quickly said before Harley could say anything. She nodded. "Thanks.." she whispered while she realised she probably couldn't bear to say another word about it. Truth was, Harley never had the chance to grieve about her family's death. All she had been doing the last 2 months was surviving; she didn't allow herself to think about them. But now that she was here and she didn't have to keep watch all the time, the realisation would often hit her in the face like a bitch. _Her family was dead._

"I actually jus' wanted ta ask ya how ya were doin'." Rick spoke while eyeing Harley, who looked up at him. "I'm doing alright I guess. Could've been worse." she chuckled sadly. Rick smiled. "And ta ask ya if ya changed yer mind 'bout stayin'. I heard from Daryl ya weren' so fond of us."

Harley blushed and cursed Daryl in thought. "No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that the Dixon's kind of forced me into it. I thought a lot about it though, about the governor, or whatever that guy's name is. I'd be willing to help, especially after he almost _indirectly_ killed me." Harley rambled while she pointed at her bandage. "But I'm not sure if I can actually.. _stay,_ you know, after everything's over. I—I just, I _need_ to find_ them_. I just need to. For my own sake. I can't let them get away with it, I just can't."

A single tear rolled down her cheek and Rick moved himself to the empty spot on her bed. He already knew who she was referring to. She felt a comforting hand on her back. "I'm grateful. I'd be willin' ta help ya with 'em—" "—No, you can't. I need to do this _myself._ I can't put any more people in danger, because that's what they are, _dangerous_."

They looked at each other and Harley gave him a reassuring smile. When Rick looked at her with a sad expression, she snorted. "No, it's okay, really. I'll be fine." Harley mumbled.

_I'll be fine_, she repeated in thought. The more she thought about those 3 unsure words, the more it scared her.


	10. Chapter 10

"Honey, you really should take a shower, now that you up and about. I can give you some clothes."

Harley put the book down and glanced at the pale woman in bed. She sighed, realising she was right, since the dirt and blood was caked to her body. "That'd be nice. I don't really have much clothes."

2 weeks had passed, and Harley started to feel more and more at home. The people had all accepted her it seemed, and even Shane gave her an unsure smile every now and then. _Babysteps,_ she said to herself while thinking about the man. He always seemed nervous for some reason.

They were all discussing tactics on how to defend the prison. Harley was glad when Rick had involved her and it put her mind at ease, knowing she would be able to protect these people when neccessary. When her head was feeling well enough, Harley had offered to keep watch. Rick had accepted it gratefully, and she now had morning shifts every two days. When she wasn't on watch, she would help out wherever she could.

She had grown close to Rick and his family, and she often sat down in Lori's cell, who was currently recovering from giving birth to Judith. The woman was a calming person, and the way she spoke to Harley somehow reminded her of her own mother. The more she thought about her new friends, the more she got attached to these people. She knew she shouldn't, because a part of her still wanted to track down the killers, though a part of her told her to relax and take it easy.

"In the bag over there are some new clothes. Didn't get a chance to wear it yet. Take whatever you need." Lori said with a smile. Harley smiled back, grateful for being able to put on some new clothes. The girl closed her book and stood up. When she opened the bag, she grabbed a white tanktop and long jeans. Harley hoped it would fit her, considering that Lori was taller than her. Harley smiled once more at the woman and walked to her own cell then, to grab panties and her leather jacket.

The person in front of her scared her; the once so brown and uplifting eyes looked hollow and sad. Her hair was sticking to her face, while the mud was spread all over her neck and arms. Sighing, Harley undid herself from the filthy clothes and stepped into the shower. Even though the shower was ice cold, she enjoyed it anyhow.

When she was all cleaned up and dressed in a new pair of clothing, she threw the clothes in the basket in the corner.

The sound of splitting wood echoed over the field. Harley walked towards the plank and grasped the knife out of it. The circle in the middle, that she had managed to create from some left over graffiti from Glenn, was already splintering.

"Unbelievable."

Harley glanced at Dale. "Why, thank you." she chuckled while positioning herself. While she tried to concentrate, she clutched the knife in her right hand and aimed at the dot in the middle. She in- and exhaled as slow as possible and lifted her arm backwards with full force before throwing the knife to the circle. It carved a few inches away from the dot in the middle. "Shouldn't have left my glasses at home." Harley grumbled unsatisfied as the perfectionist she was. She walked towards the wood and repeated the process until she hit the dot in the middle. Dale applauded and Harley nodded sheepish.

"Cool! Where did you learn that?!"

Harley turned around and looked at Carl, who had dropped deadwood and ran to her to see the show. "Honestly? I played darts in the pub on friday night. I became a lame-o once I hit the 20's. Doing nothing but drinking beer and listen to old music." she chuckled while Carl investigated the set up target.

"Playin' darts my_ ass_."

The voice from the redneck startled her, and there he was, right behind her.

"Well, goodday to you too." Harley said dryly while she walked over to the target to get the knife. Merle smirked and nodded at the target. "Got som' serious throwin' skills there, princess." he said as he finished his sentence with a whistle. Harley laughed, but stopped when Merle was licking his lips and waggling his eyebrows. Dale shook his head and turned around, while Carl was still focussed on the target. "If ya can hit tha', maybe ya can hit on ol' Merle s'well, _huh_?" he rasped heatedly. Harley rolled her eyes and Merle walked towards the door. "I'd make it worth ya time, princess, _trus'_ me," he said, while walking away. "—ain' nobody goin' ta refuse ol' Merle 'ere, got som' serious skills on dem _pu_—"

His words were cut off by the sound of a knife hitting wood. Merle startled, darting his eyes to the sound and seeing the knife that was practically stuck next to his head. He grasped the knife out of the wood and turned around in disbelief. "What? Sorry, still practising. Forgot my glasses at home." Harley chuckled Dale and Carl had turned around in shock now aswell. Merle let the knife fall down while he opened the door, murmering something about '_ninja bitch_'.

It was nearly midnight, and Harley had made herself comfortable on the lower bunk bed. The book that was resting in her hands, was distracting her from all the madness in the world. That was the main reason why she read books in the first place; to read about things she never could and would do.

"Evenin' princess."

The voice made her jump up, and she hit her head to the bed above her. "Fuck!' she hissed, while white lights were blurring her view. Her head had just healed from the concussion, which made this even more painful. "Oh fuck." she heard Merle growl while he ran towards her and lifted her up. He put her down on the chair next to her bed. "What, was knocking too much trouble?!" she exclaimed while rubbing her eyes. Merle grinned sheepish. "Sorry, didn' mean ta scare ya." he offered in response. Harley slowly opened her eyes again to look at him. "Yeah? Is that what you told all the kids too?" she teased, while sticking her tongue out at him. Merle smirked and shook his head. He sat down on her bed and glanced at her. "Here ta talk 'bout somethin'." he said more serious this time. Something about his words caught her attention. "Yeah? well, speak up then." she said while waving her hands. Merle chuckled darkly. "Officer friendly 'n us talked 'bout partnerin' people up, 'case somethin' 'appens when tha'_ shit'ead_ comes ta play. Partner's 'r goin' ta make up their own strategy. Ya partnered up wi' mah brotha."

Harley tried to process everything quickly, snorting and rolling her eyes when she heard about being partners with Daryl. "You're kidding." she grumbled. Merle shook his head, and she swore that she saw an amused glance in his eyes. "Nah, I'm bein' dead serious, princess. Mah brotha 's pretty darn good with tha' bow of his. Ya good with dem knives_. Perfect match_."

A brown strand of hair fell in front of her eyes and she quickly brushed it behind her ear. _Daryl_ and _her?_ They hadn't talked since their.. _conflict._ They looked at each other occasionally, but they both didn't attempt to interact with each other.

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but that's not gonna happen." she said harshly while she pierced her eyes into his. Merle raised her eyebrows at him and noticed the way she looked. "_Ya got a problem wi' my brotha?_" he said blankly. His reaction rather surprised Harley. "Me? _Hell_ no, _he's_ got a problem with _me._"

Merle seemed to reconsider. "Whad'dya do tha 'im? he wondered as he looked back at Harley again. Harley bit her lower lip. "Told him you were an asshole."

She didn't know why she told him; Merle was agressive, far as she knew, and to openly admit something like this could be _dangerous_ with someone like _him._ Harley's cheeks reddened and she gazed down at her hands.

Merle snickered. "Well you's a true charmer, princess. Ya ain' lyin', tho." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I ain' goin' ta play Dr Phil. Ya two need ta git it togetha, for dis _group's_ sake. Dis ain' no _fire drill_, we talkin' 'bout tanks 'n bullets here. Suggest ya go 'ave a friendly conversation wi' 'im, as a good girl."

Harley raised her hand. "How now, _good girl_? What, I'm your _pet_ now? Why don't you go talk to him yourself?" she fired back while plucking her nails. Merle snorted and growled under his breath. "Fine. Jus' do me a favor, don' try ta kill 'em like back in tha woods." he finally said before he stood up. "How's tha head?" he wondered while nodding at her. Harley shrugged. "Hurts."

Merle grinned. "Got som' booze in my cell, tha' will easen tha pain. Ya welcome ta join me. We can make som' sweet _love_—" "Yeah, dream on, _asshole_."


	11. Chapter 11

When she woke up that morning, all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She remembered the conversation from last night and moaned in protest while she got out of bed. All she was thinking about, was how awkward today was going to be._ Surely Daryl wouldn't be mad about what happened 2 weeks ago?_

Harley got dressed into a jeans and tanktop and put a sheath on her belt. She doubted at first, but eventually also took the holster with her.

Breakfast consisted out of some canned peaches and a few crackers. Rick stood up once everyone was finished. "Alrigh', folks. Tha ones tha' 'ave their partners can go outside." he announced, while nodding at the door. Everyone got up right away and Merle smirked at Harley on his way out. She got up with a sigh and massaged her temple with her hands._ Suck it up,_ she told herself as she followed the others outside.

Daryl probably wasn't there yet, since she couldn't spot him anywhere near. Harley walked up to her knife throwing target and grasped the knife out of her sheath. _Might as well do some practice,_ she scoffed, while waiting for Daryl. She aimed at the dot in the middle and raised her arm backwards. When the knife hit the middle, she smiled with satisfaction.

"Nice throwin'."

The voice made her jump up and Daryl looked at her with a blank face. Harley gave a nod as a thanks, and walked towards the target to grab her knife. She shoved it back into the sheath and walked towards a nearby bench. "Well lets get this over with, shall we?" she murmered as she sat down. Daryl nodded and sat down next to her, leaving enough distance between them as he did so. An awkward silence followed, and Harley rolled her eyes when she decided to turn around to face him. "Well.." she closed her mouth and noticed his tensed and frustrated expression. "He talked to you then?" she said, heaving a sigh. Daryl's blue eyes darted to hers and he pressed his lips together. Harley shook her head. "_Fine_." she mumbled in frustration while she stood up. When she wanted to walk away however, she heard the heavy footsteps following behind her. A hand turned her roughly around and Harley felt uncomfortable being so close to him. She quickly stepped backwards while scowling at him. "Ya don' understand_ shit_ 'bout me 'n mah brotha." he growled dangerously, while pointing his finger at her. "Ya don' know_ me_ 'r_ him_, so bes' keep yer mouth shut."

Harley narrowed her eyes. "You're seriously _still_ worrying about all of that? _Please_, I have better things to do. Besides, _you're_ the one who's making a big deal out of it." she snapped while slapping his hand away. Daryl seemed to become angry because of her touching him, but he only snorted and continued to glare at her. The sudden outburst wasn't really that much of a surprise to her, yet she was still annoyed by this whole attitude of him. 'Let's jus' get t' tha point, then. I ain't doin' this fo' ya, but fo' tha group." he grumbled while turning around again. Harley followed him. "Why the hell do you think_ I'm_ doing this?" she replied dryly as she sat down. Daryl ignored her comment and grabbed a piece of paper along with a pencil out of his pocket. He started to draw two dots and a few lines. Harley tried to think about what it could possibly mean, but he suddenly drew an H and D above the dots.

_"Wait,"_ she said, while staring icily at the piece of paper, "why are you in the back?"

The fact that he was making the plan was already something she had accepted, but the fact that he _also_ put her at risk made her blood boil. It wasn't because Harley had a problem with being the first one to attack, but his dot was atleast 30 meters behind her, so he couldn't protect her if necessary. "So ya ain' gonn' throw dem knives at my ass." he replied casually as he continued to draw. Harley shrugged, figuring he was right, though she wouldn't _actually_ throw a knife at Daryl. _But he's practically begging me for it,_ she thought. "Ya payin' attention, girl?" he snapped as he peered at her. Harley looked at him. "Stop being so mean. This ain't high school, Dixon." she calmly said. Daryl seemed to be taken aback by this. "Look, I'm sorry if I seriously hurted your feelings—"

"_What tha f_—"

"For_ fucks_ sake Dixon, would you _shut_ your mouth and listen to me for_ one_ fucking _minute_?!" she yelled. Daryl looked shocked at her but quickly managed to look calm. Harley lowered her voice again. "I _am_ sorry, okay? It wasn't my intention to make you.. make you.. well, act like you on you're _period_ or something." she said as she hushed her voice. Daryl glanced down and tried to hide his smirk. "Now you can either accept my apology, or you can keep _bragging_ about it and treat me like _shit_. It's your choice, and I'm cool with both of them. I just want to know if I can count on you when shit's about to go down." she simply said while she felt awkward doing this. _An apology for telling the truth_, she scoffed in thought while she looked at him. Daryl seemed to hesitate for a minute, before he gently punched her shoulder. "Next time I'mma teach yer ass a lesson myself." he smirked while avoiding eyecontact with her. Harley rolled her eyes. "Can't wait." she mumbled in sarcasm.

They both concentrated on the strategy plan again for atleast 2 hours, until the group went inside to have lunch. Even though Harley pretended to be all bad ass about it, she was actually feeling awfully nervous about what was to come.

What did she even have to expect about this whole _Governor_ guy? Sometimes she would hear Merle and Rick chatter, and Merle would warn him all the time about Rick being naive. Well, if even _Merle_ thinks the guy's dangerous..

"See ya two smoked tha peace pipe?"

Harley looked up from her bowl of soup. Daryl, who was sitting next to her, looked up aswell. Merle smirked teasingly and sat down opposite of them. "Now look at ya, sittin' next ta eachother wi'out cuttin' eachother's throat's off. Mah compliments, Darylina. Ya really listened ta m' advice this time."

The girl sighed and stared at her soup. _You have no idea_, she replied in thought, while hiding her grin.


	12. Chapter 12

It was still dark when she sat up straight while panting, but the noises had been real; it was too realistic to be a dream. Harley tried to focus as she rubbed her eyes to get a clearer view, and that's when she heard the yelling. "_Get tha fuck up er'rybody! Captain Hook 's throwin' his rave!_" Merle yelled while he slammed on the celldoors to wake everyone up. _The Governor_. Harley gasped and got out of bed, quickly putting on a jeans, shirt, leather jacket, and boots. She took as much knives as she could carry, along with her 2 holsters. After she had put her hair into a ponytail, she ran out of her cell.

Most of the people had gathered in the hallway, while they were anxiously looking at Rick as they waited for him to speak. Merle and Carol were counting the people to make sure everyone was there. When Harley looked to her left, she saw Daryl standing there, with his crossbow hanging around his shoulder. "Alrigh' people, all ya belongin's 'r goin' to tha truck. Beth, Judith, Lori and Dale 'r leavin'. Hershel said he wanted ta stay wi' us 'case someone needs medical attention. Get t'ya partner 'n get ready ta attack!"

Everyone started to rush away and Daryl nodded at Harley. She gave him a reassuring nod in response, and followed him outside.

Harley and Daryl had decided to attack from the back; they had to get to the woods, so they could attack the Governor from the back in surprise. Daryl would stay a few meters behind her, so she could get closer to throw the knives.

_This is the most stupid and impulsive idea ever._

Stars were illuminating the dark sky and it was foggy outside. The good thing about that was; the Governor couldn't discover them that easily. The bad thing was; Harley and Daryl couldn't see their enemies that easily, either.

The cool night air welcomed them as they left through the back of the prison. They went through the broken fence and sprinted towards the woods. After 15 minutes, Daryl motioned to the flashlights in front of them and Harley nodded. He gestured at her knife and than waved with his hand in front of them. Harley's mouth opened and closed, realizing what he meant. _This wasn't part of the plan_. She was supposed to wait after half of the Governor's group would be inside the prison. '_Are you fucking kidding me?!'_ she mouthed in silence while her eyes spat fire. Daryl rolled his eyes pointed at himself and her, adding a threatening punch motion. Harley bit her lip at his sarcasm and got up as silently as possible, while her heartbeat was increasing rapidly.

_"Give up the prison and nobody gets hurt." _

Nobody gets hurt_ my ass_, she scoffed, while she crept towards the noise. She peeked through the bushes and saw the man with the eyepatch, _the Governor,_ standing on top of a truck with a loudspeaker in his hands. Harley only saw his back, but from what she heard the Governor was a _manipulative_ piece of _shit._ Memories of her previous group leader were brought up at the sight of the Governor and Harley bit her tongue until she tasted blood. She couldn't let her new group undergo the same fate as her family. The small knife in her bra would be perfect, though she hoped she wouldn't miss his head. If she would fuck this up, even _worse_ things could happen. Harley grabbed the small knife sheath from between her breasts, and she also kept the bigger knife within her reach just to be sure.

"_Rick, I gave you a chance. You leave me no choice. If this is the way it's gotta be, then so be it._"

The Governor turned around at the army behind him and screamed '_ATTACK!_'

Right after he had said those words, bullets were flying through the air from all angles. Harley couldn't see the people at the prison, but she knew they were there; they all had planned out brilliant strategies to stay unnoticed.

The Governor was firing a combat shotgun while a smirk was playing around his lips. Harley grunted and clutched the small knife in her hands. _If she only could get closer.._

The leaves crackled underneath her heavy boots, but since the sound of gun firing, grenades and a bazooka were filling the air, no one could possibly hear her.

_A bazooka?_

She looked up and saw one of the man firing at the watch tower with the damned bazooka._ Fuck!_ If she wouldn't act now, more people could die. While she was anticipating for more bullets to come, one of the three trucks drove forward and broke the fence. Half of the Governor's people were now inside the prison's property. _Good._ Everything was working out as planned; half of their own group would be inside, prepared for a surprise attack. Harley swifted forward and covered behind a tree. She could see the back of the Governor's head clear from here, and she was close enough to hit him. While trying to control her breathing, she aimed for his head and threw the small knife..

..It hit his right shoulder. "_God fucking damnit_," she cursed, while grabbing the bigger knife. The Governor barely got the chance to turn around when she threw the bigger knife. This time, it hit his right eye; he fell down while his horrifying screams were heard over the sound of bulletsrain. Harley frowned, realizing he could survive if they had a medic with them. She searched for another knife, but realized she possibly couldn't kill him with just the knife alone. And so, she took her gun and walked towards the place where she'd seen him fall down. Harley ran towards the spot, but the sudden soft _thud_ in her side, along with the most horrific pain she could possibly imagine, caused her to collapse on the ground. The once so white top she was wearing had turned red and her own blood was pasted to her hands. "No!" she heard a raspy voice grunt behind her. "_Goddamnit_." she whispered while she tried to stay away from the darkness that was threatening to take over her view. The sound of flying arrows nearly made her swift off to sleep, but when it was replaced with the sound of gun shots, she startled a bit. Her eyelids were becoming too heavy, and she surrendered herself to the black specks, while she heard the sound of groaning and moaning behind her.


	13. Chapter 13

The smell of burnt flesh and blood along with gunpowder were filling the air. All she could hear were the groans and moans from afar. But in a different direction, she could hear the screaming.

And then there was nothing.

Everything was and felt empty while she was paralyzed because of the pain. She would often flinch, while she tried to move._ Wake up,_ she thought. _I need to wake up. They are dying._

But when she finally managed to grab a knife, even though she couldn't open her eyes, a loud explosion caused her to roll over. The sudden heat blew her over, but a hand pushed her to the ground and covered her. She couldn't breathe; the smoke was burning its way through her lungs, filling her mouth with ash and despair.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open and she screamed out in agony, while feeling the tears running down her cheek. A hand pushed back and she continued to sob. The daylight was blinding her for atleast five minutes, until she was able to adjust her view and take in her surroundings; she was lying in a tent and she then saw the person sitting next to her. She scoffed and pressed her eyes together. "Sorry, can' help it tha' 'm tha first person ya got ta see 'fter all tha' shit." he scoffed sarcastically. Harley sighed and opened her eyes to look at Daryl. "Where are we?_ What happened?_ I—" "—Pipe tha fuck down,_ pocahontas_. You's jus' got yer conscious back, don'tcha go ruinin' tha' on me now. Dragged yer ass all tha way ta here. 'Sides, 'm not done yet. Keep still 'n bite on this." Daryl grunted, throwing her a red rag. Harley looked down and saw Daryl holding a bloodied knife in his hands. A bottle of vodka was lying next to him along with a white cloth. Harley felt like crying, but she didn't want to look weak, so she stuffed the rag in her mouth and closed her eyes firmly. Daryl tapped her shoulder and Harley opened her eyes. He handed her the bottle of vodka, and she accepted it without saying anything, nearly gulping half of the liquid down.

Right after she felt the terrible disastrous pain, she was dragged into the darkness once again.

* * *

Heat was rushing through her veins and her body temperature seemed to alternate between either heating out of shivering from cold. Harley fought. She always fought against the light and darkness, but it seemed to be an pointless battle, and in the end it wouldn't get her anywhere.

One day she was done fighting and she wanted to give up to the everlasting unconsciousness. No matter how much she forced herself to keep going, she couldn't. But just when she was about to leave herself behind, her eyes finally opened.

"Ya ain' goin' ta die, stupid _bitch_. Did everythin' ta save yer ass 'n I ain' goin' ta stab ya once yer turned. Dont'cha_ dare_ makin' me do tha'."

Harley wanted to let him know she was right there, listening to him. But for some reason she enjoyed hearing his pleading, after all the shit he had said to her when they met.

"_Ya selfish little_—" "—Easy _tiger,_ calm _down_ now, would you?"

The girl chuckled when she saw his cheeks flutter, but stopped when he noticed his watery eyes. _Why the fuck would he cry over her?_ Sure, Harley would consider them friends, but nothing _more_ and nothing _less._ It wasn't like they had some deep kind of friendship going on._ Hell_, probably Merle wouldn't even cry for her sorry ass. "Are you okay?" she asked, hesitating. Daryl scoffed. "Why tha fuck wouldn' I be? I ain't tha one who got 'erself shot." he snapped. Harley raised her eyebrows. _"I got shot?_" she asked sheepish. _Ofcourse,_ she answered to herself with a growl. That was probably the most dumbest question she had ever asked. That would explain the unbearable pain in her side and all the blood. Truth was, everything that had happened was vanished from her memory. Daryl rolled his eyes. "Yeah Sherlock Holmes, hadn' noticed yet?" he mumbled, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Harley tried to sit up, but her side started to twitch and her she flinched from the pain. "Jesus fucking Christ." she growled while closing her eyes. Daryl smirked. "Jus' told ya yer got yer ass shot 'n 'ere ya are, already tryin' ta hold a _fiesta_. Ya got somethin' stuck in yer ear, pocahontas? Dont'cha speak English?"

Harley looked at him, trying to find out whether he was just mocking with her or actually angry. But his face marked no clear emotion, so she ignored him. "Can you help me up? My back hurts from lying down." she wailed. Daryl nodded and supported her back with his left arm. He gently lifted the tiny woman up in his arms and carried her outside of the tent. Once he had reached a tree that was close to their tent, he softly put her down. Daryl lowered himself onto his knees and sat down across from her, leaving enough distance between them as he did so. "What happened?" Harley blurted out. Daryl frowned. "Ya don' remember anythin'?" Harley shook her head in response.

"Well, ya pretty much threw dem knives at tha _sumbitch_. Guess ya only managed ta hit 'is shoulder tha first time, tho ya hit 'is right eye tha second time. Ya got shot 'n I killed dem assholes. Time I reached tha sumbitch, he already died." Daryl explained while looking down at the knife in his hands. He looked at her occasionally, but Harley had closed her eyes while she forced herself to remember anything that had happened.

"Fo' som' reason, tha whole prison exploded—" "_No_."

Daryl looked up at her in surprise and the girl had tears in her eyes.

"Please _don't._ Don't say this."

"—It _exploded_. Tha whole fuckin' thing jus' lighted up."

Harley sighed and started to tremble. "Did you see anyone?" she asked, while her voice was breaking. Daryl looked at her with a blank expression and shook his head slowly. She covered her face with her hands. _I failed,_ she thought. _I fucking failed. If I only would've hit him the first time. If I only would've listened to Daryl and had thrown the goddamn knife right away._

"I should have listened to you." she whispered. Daryl pressed his lips together and scowled. "Shot ya damn mouth, pocahontas. Ain't yer fault 'n ya know it. Stop makin' up dem bullshit stories, girl. Ya did wha' ya had ta do." he growled. Harley shook her head. "No! I _failed_. I—" "Why tha hell d'ya care anyway? Ya only 've known us fo' less than 4 weeks."

Harley looked up, finding out he actually meant the question. It wasn't a rude question really. Something in his voice made it sound like he had sympathy for her, _somewhere._

"_My_ family," she said. "My previous group killed my family in front of me. The leader was a manipulative _asshole_ just like that _Governor_ guy. They made me watch. Kept me in a chokehold at first, until they made sure all of them were dead. First my parents, while my sister was screaming. They made us watch them, until they turned. We didn't know people could turn without being bitten. And then my _sister_." Harley paused and inhaled. Daryl was listening to every single word she said.

"I survived. But_ they_ are _dead_."

Daryl didn't know what to say; he just looked at the ground for a few minutes, while a silence continued. Neither of them attempted to say anything, yet it was somehow comforting for Harley; she wasn't exactly the comfort kind of type, either, so she understood Daryl's reaction. "Didn' ya 'ave any friends?" he asked suddenly, referring to her being alone all this time. Harley sighed. "Yes." she replied. Daryl raised his eyebrows. "Why didn' ya go ta anyone?"

Harley shrugged. "I don't _need_ anyone."

It was obviously a lie. But she didn't want to be weak. "I don't belong in a group. Socializing scares the shit out of me, in case you hadn't noticed yet." Harley confessed. The bittersweet memory of Merle Dixon saving her was still fresh in her mind. Daryl smirked. "Yeah, I think I noticed tha'."

There was another silence.

"What do we do now?" she asked softly. Daryl's blue eyes found her brown ones and he tried to look calm, while he was actually panicking about the idea that everyone had been locked up in that prison. "We go fin' 'em. We can't 'ead back, 'cuz walkers 'r all over tha goddamn place. Best 'f we jus' go back t' tha highway."

Harley nodded, but looked confused after the idea of his plan. "_Highway_?" she repeated. Daryl rolled his eyes and grinned. "Leave tha' ta me, pocahontas. Gonn' drag yer ass 'to tha tent so ya can get some rest. Yer drivin' me nuts already." he murmered sarcastically when he moved forward so he could scoop her up in his arms. Harley rolled her eyes. "Careful Dixon," she said teasingly, "—I got shot in my _side_, doesn't mean I can't use my hands—I can still throw a knife at that_ arrogant_ looking face of yours."


	14. Chapter 14

The relationship between the two of them was changing.

However _not_ in a **good** way.

It had all started two weeks ago; Harley healed sooner than they had expected, and she was in_ no_ way going to let them stay at their current camping spot for another week or so. Daryl had insisted to stay there for atleast 3 more days, to make sure she wouldn't get an infection or whatsoever, but she had shrugged it off. _'Faster we move, the better,"_ she had explained, '_besides, the group won't wait forever, if they _are_ on the highway like you said.' _

Daryl couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he had raised his hand in attempt to slow down the conversation so he could decently process everything. The girl was a handful, _sure_, he knew since the day his older brother brought her back along with him, but_ this_? To truly risk her health in a dumb,_ immature_ way? '_Hell no_,' he spat back to her, '_we gonn' wait 'ere till you's ass is properly healed, pocahontas. I ain't waitin' ta drag yer ass all tha way back again_.'

They had screamed to each other and he had walked away to blow off some steam, leaving Harley alone in the tent, who had to calm down as well.

These two. Were something _different._

Not to mention, they were both so _different_ and yet the _same_; Harley was _way_ more stubborn and impulsive, comparing to Daryl, who was rather careful during risky situations, such as going on a supply run. Harley would tell him to '_man the fuck up_' and just get it over with; she had entered the door to a mega market once, not realising there were 10 walkers lurking behind the darkened windows. Daryl had screamed in anger, but helped her out anyway. But afterwards.. Things got nasty; possibly the worst fight during the 4 weeks they had been together.

Daryl Dixon didn't know much about how to deal with these typical occuring problems with the other gender, but there was one thing he knew for sure; this woman was going to be the _death_ of him sooner or later.

* * *

"So, this is it then? No signs.. no.. _nothing?_"

Daryl narrowed his eyes together and shot the girl an angry glare while he paced through the cars. Harley sighed and kicked away an empty soda can. They were both hungry and exhausted; both of them hadn't gotten much sleep since the last few days, because they both didn't really seem to trust one another. Damn, no matter how hard Daryl tried; he felt a hate growing towards the woman. Just the way she dealt with things, which would most likely get her killed some day in a world like this. The other night he had tried to talk some sense into her, but the stupid stubborn bitch didn't want to set away her pride. _Like I'm dealin' wi' a fuckin' copy of mah brother, for fucks sake_. Though there was something about her that fascinated him as well; never in his life, well not that he could remember, had he met a woman like her.

Daryl had experienced some past relationships with girls, but they were all dependant bitches and rather tacky; they would try to get into his pants and he didn't feel the urge to have any sort of that specific contact. Not to mention, the_ touch_ of another person besides his own momma freaked him out; the years of abuse from his Pop had caused him rather wanting to stay away from woman, unlike his older brother, who would fuck anything he could get his hands on. Though he sometimes had allowed them to touch him anyway, only because it felt like his older brother would silently judge him if he wouldn't. It was ridiculous, but the way Merle had an impact on him was just.. _messed_ up.

"Nah, 'less yer som' kin' of detective who can see thangs I can't see." he mumbled sarcastically while he sped forward. The thought of having to travel with this girl lingered on his mind and made him sigh. In all honesty, he didn't know how much longer he could bear with her. It seemed like one of those '_you truly get to know eachother when you have no one left'_ things. It made him want to gag. Merle would probably laugh at him if he could see him now. _Damn_, Merle would've probably tried to fuck the girl already. Though Harley didn't seem like the girl that would give in that easily. _Hell_, she was the one who had put a knife against Merle's throat. Yet his older brother had actually been friendly to the girl afterwards, which did make no sense to him at all. _Probably jus' 'cuz she has a pussy and boobs_. With those thoughts, he turned around to look at Harley, who halted and raised her eyebrows at him.

He didn't realize he was staring at her body until she was tapping with her left foot, her hands on her hips.

"Eyes up here, Dixon." she snarled, though Daryl thought he could see an amused expression in her eyes somewhere. He shook his head and snapped out of his trance. The warm feeling in his cheeks caused him to turn around quickly and he hoped to _God_ she hadn't noticed his awkward expression. "So, where do you think they went?" Harley asked while she caught up to him, now walking at his left side. Daryl snorted. "Fuck if I know. I ain't planted a fuckin' _GPS_ in their buttholes.' he said blankly as he continued to move forward. He heard a grunting noise from next to him and he turned around in surprise. Harley looked pissed, but it didn't do shit to Daryl. _Girl on 'er fuckin' period,_ he muttered to himself, causing him to smirk.

They walked for another 30 minutes. No words were spoken and the only sound came from the rustling leaves at their right side. Daryl looked at the cars around them and halted. "Le's git som' supplies. Could use som' food."

Harley didn't say anything but obeyed to his proposal; she walked off to a random pick-up and opened the door. Daryl turned the opposite direction and saw a yellow ferrari. "Well be _damned_." he gasped, while taking in the beauty of the car. The hood was slightly layered in dirt, nevertheless he whistled at the sight. He reached for the door and grinned when he found out it was open. There were different bags in the back and he eagerly opened it. A satisfying grunt escaped his mouth when he saw all the food, and even a set of 5 brand new hunter knives were hidden under the seat. "Damn rich asses ain't even capable of usin' this shit." he chuckled to himself while he gathered all the treasures.

A shriek caught his attention and Daryl's head snapped around. He let out a series of curses when he hit his head against the car, but he quickly grabbed his now filled backpack and sprinted towards the noise.

"_What tha_—"

His words were cut off by the groaning behind him. Daryl turned around and had already taken the knife out of the sheath. Stabbing it inside the walker's head, the body fell down with a loud thud, and Daryl quickly turned around. Around 40 walkers were narrowing Harley.

Daryl tried to swallow the lump down his throat at the sight of the herd of walkers.


	15. Chapter 15

**[A/N] Includes a flashback/memory to lil' Daryl. Let me know what you think! :) Feedback is veeeery much appreciated (I mean I'm foreign idek what I'm doing 9/10 times lmao)**

* * *

Bullets were sneering through the air and Daryl tried to kill off as many of the dead as possible, even though he knew it was hopeless; _they would die_.

The walkers were still trying to get to Harley, who was now practically _dancing_ around with a gun and dagger in her hands. Daryl stood a few meters away from her, struggling with 3 other walkers who had noticed the man's presence. "Go!" he heard her scream. Daryl killed off the last walker, though another one came staggering towards his direction. "Wha'?!' he yelled back, while clenching the knife in his hands. Knives weren't his favourite weapon of choice, but he couldn't reload his crossbow right now; it was too much effort and would take too much time. "I said, _leave_, Daryl! Just _go!_"

He couldn't believe his ears.

The goddamn headstrong _bitch_ was actually telling him to _take_ his shit and_ leave_.

"Ya fuckin' crazy?! I ain't jus' goin' ta leave yer ass behind, girl! If ya really think I'm jus' gonn' do tha', ya got another fuckin' thing comin'!"

It was almost like he could hear her sigh and roll her eyes from here. Daryl grinded his teeth in frustration, while grabbing the female walker's hair and roughly shoving the knife into her skull.

"Just fucking _go_, okay?! Find your damn brother, find the _group_. I'm going to be_ fine_. This is hopele—y_ou fucking cuntsucking assclown,_ goddamnit!"

Daryl's eyes widened. "Ya bit?!" he screamed, anticipating to hear her torturing screams. Daryl knew he probably couldn't bear that; even though he practically hated her right now, he couldn't watch her being eaten by those ugly dead fucks. Truth was, that Daryl somehow feared to be left alone. It was stupid, but it was the _truth._ Being alone meant that he would have time and opportunity to think things over. And overthinking things made him_ miserable_; he had seen too much, before and after shit hit the van, and he wasn't ready to face the reality yet. If fighting with a knive throwing bitch was the way to distract him from all that shit, then so be it.

"No, but won't be long 'till I will. Just _leave_, goddamnit—if you don't fucking_ leav_e right now, I swear to God I will _haunt_ your ass 'till the grave, Dixon!"

Daryl distanced himself from the walkers, who were attracted to the living breathing woman and surrounding her like ants. The thought of just leaving her, while he knew she would die for sure, made him feel guilty and sick. "**GO**!" he heard her yell. Without responding, he clutched the knife, took hold of crossbow hanging around shoulder, and turned around.

Even though his head was spinning, his legs carried him away from the ambush.

That was the last time Daryl Dixon saw Harley StJohn.

* * *

The glass that was thrown against the wall shattered into pieces. The officer pinned him against the wall, while the broad man was trying to break free by using his legs. His angry growls were filling the room and the baby in the room next to him started to cry. "If ya won't keep yer mouth shut, I will have ta use tha cuffs again." the leader warned with a threatening tone. Merle Dixon growled again and tried to yank his arms loose from Shane's grasp. "You's a true charmer, Officer friendly. But tha'd be tha day my other hand grows back."

Merle spat into Rick's face and smirked when Rick removed the saliva out of his eyes. "I'mma ask yer dictatorin' ass one more time. Let me fuckin'_ go_, so I can look for mah brotha."

Rick closed his eyes and exchanged looks with Shane. When they all heard the footsteps behind them, Rick turned around and saw Carol. Merle followed the officer's gaze and smirked when he took in the sight of the woman. _Grey mouse,_ he recalled while he wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Ya enjoyin' tha show,_ Annie?_ Why dont'cha do 's all a favor 'n kick dem officer's in tha nuts so ol' Merle can leave all yer school buddies behin'?"

Carol scowled. "I don't think so." she answered dryly. Merle grinded his teeth and raised his eyebrows. "Wha's tha' now sugartits? I 'ad som' shit in mah ears. Pro'lly came out of yer mouth from asskissin' these political-brainwashed _sumbitches_." he grunted while nodding at Rick and Shane. Carol moved towards Merle and looked at Rick.

Just like that, Merle was released and dropped onto the ground. His head hit the wall behind him and he cursed as Shane and Rick left the room. Carol lowered herself onto her knees in front of him. "I know you probably don't agree with Rick's choices, but he's doing it for his family and the group. _Your_ brother is a part of this_ family_, and Rick will search for him. You need to get off your high horse and start _acting_ like a big brother."

Merle raised his eyebrows and smirked. _Since when did this grey mouse have claws?_

"Now now darlin', dont'cha go all _pity-partyin'_ me. You's _not_ his family. Y'all ain't his_ blood_. Say whateva ya wann' say, _Annie_, but I'm leavin'—however I enjoy chattin' with yer feisty personality, I ain't jus' goin' ta sit 'ere 'n eat of 'f mah goddamn nose." he answered while he stood up. Carol shook her head and stood up as well. "Just be nice to him." she said while looking at him. Merle chuckled and opened his mouth to reply, however, he was cut off by Carol. "No, let me repeat that for you—be _nice_ to him, or I will _kill_ you next time I see you."

* * *

The darkness had come sooner than expected and Daryl flinched when he heard a muffled scream in the distance. He paused, allowing himself to breathe for a minute, as he turned around to examine his surrounding. There were only about 5 walkers following him still, but Daryl just kept running. The only thing he wanted, was to be as far away from the highway as possible, but when he heard the scream his heart simply skipped a beat. _Was it her?_ What if she had still been alive?

"_Goddamnit_," he growled under his breath, as he continued to run to _God knows_ where.

When he saw the river pop up in the distance, he hesitated and glanced around. No walkers were there, unless the 5 that were following him. Daryl turned around and waited for the walkers to come; he used his crossbow to kill three of them, while he used his knife to take down the rest. He sat down on a log while panting, desperately in need of air. The only light was coming from the full moon that was glowing in the night sky and he looked up for a moment to admire the night's beauty. Daryl grabbed his backpack and took a bottle of water.

* * *

_"Wha' tha fuck 'r ya doin' out here, son?!'_

_Bobby Dixon was standing in the dooropening with a beer can clenched in his left hand, while the other one was holding a cigarette. Daryl startled at the raspy familiar voice and he jumped up from the porch, eyeing his father while biting his lip. "Jus' watchin' tha moon," the 10 year old said, while waggling up and down his feet. His father grinned darkly and shook his head. "Why tha fuck would ya do 'at, huh? Don'tcha got nothin' better ta do?"_

_"Shut yer mouth 'n get away from 'im, Pop."_

_Daryl turned around and saw his brother getting out of an old unfamiliar pick-up. He ran up the porch and glared at his father before turning to Daryl. "Ya alrigh' lil' brotha?" he asked while gently squeezing his arm. Daryl nodded and bit his lowerlip, while he felt his eyes welling up with tears at the sight of his brother. He had come back. Merle came back for him._

_Their father snorted and clacked his tongue. "Where tha hell ya been at, boy?" Bobby wondered harshly before he gulped down the rest of his beer. Merle licked his lips and moved forward, until he and his father's chests touched. "Told ya 5 months ago, Pop. I was in tha service." Merle said with his lower voice. Daryl followed Merle and tugged the sleeve of his shirt. "Please Merle, don't. Le's jus' git outta here." he wailed while peeping up at his older brother, who was still glaring at their ol' man with a threatening look. Bobby snorted and turned around. "Yeah, jus' go. Ain't wann' see yer useless shitheads 'round 'ere." _

_Merle growled and yanked Daryl's arm. The older Dixon opened the door to the drivers seat and Daryl climbed up next to him. "Whad'dya wann' do, lil' brotha?" Merle questioned as he started the car. Daryl seemed to be lost in thought for a brief moment before turning back to his older brother. "Can we git donuts?" he asked hopefully. Merle nodded while smirking, and they left the drive way. "Did he touch ya?" Merle wondered why he left the highway to go to their favourite diner. Instead of replying to him, Daryl just stared out of the window and kept his mouth shut. Merle hissed and glanced at his little brother. "Well?!" _

_Daryl looked at him, tears filling his eyes. Merle bit his lower lip and shook his head. "Fer _fucks_ sake, Darylina, ya need ta toughen' up. I ain't goin' ta be there all tha time to watch yer sorry ass!" he exclaimed, more roughly than he had meant to. Daryl forced back the tears and nodded. "Ya need ta stand up fo' yerself!" he continued, losing himself in the rage that the shithead that called himself a father had caused. Bobby Dixon. What a fucking joke he was, drinking himself to the ground with his little fuckery friends and beating his boys around the damn bush. When Merle had got the chance to leave, he had taken it eagerly. Though being in service wasn't a very pleasing thing for him, it was atleast better than having to stay at the hellhole that was their home. But he felt guilty. Guilty, for leaving his little brother alone with that god forsaken bastard. Merle knew that Pop would lay his hands upon Daryl, now that he couldn't touch Merle anymore._

_"Did ya stand up for yerself?" Daryl suddenly asked._

_Merle looked at Daryl and his mouth fell open at his question. Daryl locked eyes with him, until his little brother looked away again. He was blaming _him_. Merle knew he deserved that._

_The answer popped into his head. Merle hadn't done anything besides standing up for himself, and for Daryl. The moment their momma had given birth to Daryl, Merle had found himself a reason to live. To stay put. To be able to have atleast _something _that he could call family. Though he swore to himself that he would never let Pop touch Daryl like the way he had touched him. Hell, Merle had a shit load of scars from his ol' man's cigarette burns; the idea of Daryl having to go through all of that made him shiver. _

_Merle would take the beating for Daryl. Just so Bobby wouldn't bother getting started on Daryl. But now that Merle wasn't always around anymore, he knew he had practically given that up by leaving him alone._

_And Merle Dixon would never forgive himself for that. Not ever._


	16. Chapter 16

The squirrel tasted bitterly in his mouth, but he forced himself to chew and swallow the chunks anyhow.

One week had passed and Daryl had decided to travel Northwards, knowing Rick probably would headed off into that direction.

**_If_ **he had survived.

Daryl thought often about the group, even though he tried not to. At night, the explosion of the prison would haunt his dreams, causing him to wake up covered in sweat. He had grown to care for these people; they comforted him and hadn't left him like Merle had when they were younger. At the mention of his name in thought, he automatically pictured his brother inside his head. Would that old fucker still be alive?

_Probably_, he thought scowling. _Nobody can kill Merle but Merle._

The bright daylight was burning on his bare arms and Daryl got up. After he had made sure there was no trace left of him being here, he turned northwarths and started to walk off into that direction.

After he had left the highway, he had enough food for atleast two more weeks.

Daryl kept walking, his thoughts drifting off as he tried to remember everyone of the group. It almost seemed to become like a habit, to make sure he wouldn't forget their faces. It was ridiculous, but somehow it made the time go faster. When he thought about Carol, he froze. Would the woman still be alive? He didn't know why he was thinking about her, but he just did. He guessed it was just because he didn't have anything else to keep himself busy with.

After 50 minutes of non stop walking, he saw a white house pop up in the distance. Daryl stopped, hesitating and hiding behind a tree. He didn't see any distinct movements that indicated there were walkers there, though he didn't want to take the risk, so he just kept waiting. And waiting. _And waiting._

Daryl crept towards the house in a fast motion. He walked up the porch and knocked on the door. _Nothing_.

However, suddenly the door opened, and Daryl fell down when he felt the sharp pain throughout his skull. There were white and black dots dancing in front of him and he cursed something under his breath. "Oh my god," he heard a feminine voice say in shock, "Daryl?!"

Daryl looked up and held up his hand, blocking the bright sunshine out of his view. "Maggie?" he wondered stupidly. The girl dropped the revolver in her hands and bent through her knees to help him up. Maggie pulled him into a sudden hug and Daryl flinched at the unfamiliar touch, though he didn't attempt to push her away. "Yer alive. We thought ya were dead." the girl whispered, while she almost squeezed him to pieces. Daryl managed to smile. "Easy on tha ribs, girl." he warned her when she didn't let go. Maggie snickered and took a step back. "I'm so sorry 'bout tha'." she said, nodding at his forehead that was now burning like hell. "Thought ya were a stranger 'r a walker." she explained quickly. Daryl nodded once. "Got anyone else wi' ya?" he wondered while looking over her shoulder into the house. Maggie nodded and motioned him to follow her. They entered the house and Maggie lead him into what seemed to be a living room.

Hershel, Dale, Carl, Judith, Shane, Carol and Rick were looking at him with a surprised expression at first, but soon their faces showed off the relieve and happiness. Daryl nodded at everyone and Rick stood up with a slight smile. When he wanted to say something however, their silent moment was roughly interrupted by the raspy voice behind them. "Ol' Merle's goin' ta leave ya. Dont'cha worry 'n don't y'all go_ grievin'_ for this sumbitch. I ain't stupid, y'all wouldn't mind anyway. _Hell_—throw a goddamn party fo' all I care, but ya better _n_—"

The rambling immediately stopped when Merle noticed him. Daryl shifted awkwardly on the wooden floor as he looked at Merle. "Well be damned, Darylina. Was just 'bout ta save yer ass outta tha woods." Merle said, with his famous grin. Daryl rolled his eyes at his brothers cockiness but smirked eventually. "Ain't need no babysitter, bro. I'm doin' jus' fine."

Merle chuckled and felt the gazes behind them. "Whady'all lookin' at?! This ain't no circus!" he growled. Everyone got up quickly as they startled from the sudden change in his voice. Most of the people went outside, while some of them ran upstairs. Carol was the only one who stayed. When Merle looked around and made sure nobody was nearby, he walked towards Daryl and wrapped his arms firmly around his little brother. He patted his back roughly while grinning, and Daryl was confused at first. Why would he do that? The whole reaction thing, it didn't make sense to Daryl. He allowed Merle to hug him anyway, still feeling uncomfortable.

His older brother let go of him and stepped back. Merle looked over Daryl's shoulder, as if he was expecting to see someone else with him. "Where princess at?" he asked while cocking his eyebrow. Daryl sighed and looked down at the laminate for a moment before replying. "Dead."

Merle shook his head and his expression suddenly hardened. "Wha'? How'd tha' 'appen?"

"Why don't you both just sit down. Would make it a little less uncomfortable. I'm sure Daryl here had a long journey. Maybe you should give him some rest before asking him all these questions."

Daryl and Merle both turned around to look at Carol. The woman smiled and stood up. The younger Dixon already knew she shouldn't have said that. "Why dont'cha mind yer own business, Annie. We have som' serious things ta discuss." Merle growled while piercing his blue eyes with hers. Carol didn't say anything but left the room obediently.

The brothers shifted towards the couch and sat down. Merle looked at Daryl, who cleared his throat. "Where d'ya wan' me ta start?" Daryl wondered while he took the crossbow from his shoulder to put it down on the table that stood next to the couch. Merle shrugged. "Everythin'. Why dont'cha start from tha beginnin', when all dem dumb asses got seperated."

_Includin' yerself,_ Daryl scoffed in thought, though he didn't say anything and nodded.

"Well, she threw a knife at tha Governor, but missed. Tho she threw another 'n hit tha sumbitch in 'is otha eye."

Merle laughed. "Sounds like our princess. Go on." he encouraged with an amused smirk. Daryl licked his lips and blinked a few times, trying to remember everything that had happened the last few weeks.

"She got 'erself shot. I killed dem bitches from tha Governor. Prison blew up behin' me 'n I carried pocahontas all tha way t' a safe place. Digged tha bullet out 'n waited 'till she felt better." Daryl paused. Merle rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me y'all got yer panties twisted 'n shit." Merle snapped.

Daryl ran a hand through his greasy hair and closed his eyes while rubbing his face. He knew right away what Merle was referring to. _The fighting. _

"We 'ad som' disagreements—"

"Fer _fucks_ sake, Darylina!"

"Well—" Daryl said, hesitating. "Basically we were this close ta killin' eachother." he confessed while avoiding his brother's dissaproving gaze.

"We were at tha highway. Figured Rick would go there. Went ta fin' som' supplies 'n tha's when I heard 'er. Big fuckin' herd comes hollin' at us, r'ound 50 of 'em. Tried ta get t' 'er, but time I reached 'er they already closened it on 'er. Girl be tellin' me ta leave 'er, sayin' I need ta find tha group 'n all tha' sentimental shit."

Daryl tried to control his breathing after the long talking and he looked at Merle, anticipating a whole angry talk of him. Instead, his older brother looked thoughtfully. "Did ya see 'er go down?" he asked. Daryl shook his head and Merle nodded. "She ain' dead." Merle stated. Daryl scowled. "How d'ya know? Should've seen tha fuckin' herd, it was insane."

Merle smirked. "I jus' do, Darylina. She ain' dead. But she ain' our problem anymore. Princess will take care of 'erself."

The way Merle said it gave Daryl an uneasy feeling down his stomach.

What if she really had survived? What if his brother was _right?_


	17. Chapter 17

_The dress was tightening her waist and she felt like she couldn't breathe. A loose strand of hair was covering the left side of her face and she started to feel more and more frustrated as minutes passed._

_"Just let me wear my jeans and I'll be fine. Don't need all of **this**__—__" Harley gestured to the silky textile on her body and shot her younger sister a judgemental look. Demi giggled and wrapped one of Harley's brown locks around her finger. "You're only graduating once in your life__—"__ "That's not true, you forgot about college."_

_Demi sighed and rolled her eyes. She brushed some drawn out eyeliner from Harley's cheek. "That's different. This is high school. Trust me, you're gonna thank me for this one day."_

_"One day," Harley agreed, "when I'm old and delirious from pain medication."_

* * *

_Death, death, death._

The smell of rotten flesh filled her nostrils, but her body and mind were occupied with the same goal:_ stay alive._

_Death, death, death._

Another walker approached her from the left. It tried to grasp her hair, but Harley was quicker, as she stabbed the walking dead with her arm backwards. She was cornered, and she knew she would be dead within minutes, if not seconds now. All the fighting had no use. After everything she had been through, this was how she was going to die. But her instincts were still working like it should, as she tried to fight off as many walkers as possible.

Would her parents be waiting for her? _Her little sister?_ Her grandma? Grandpa?

Harley tried to push the distracting thoughts away while she paced backwards. The herd was out of control; even more walkers had added themselves to the group. The hope she had a few moments ago was now completely vanished.

The dull sound of a belt touching glass snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned around, startled, and realized she couldn't go backwards any further; she was pushed against a yellow ferrari. Harley had no time to fuss over a luxurious car; the walkers noticed how their prey was now trapped.

She closed her eyes and tried not to cry._ I will not die while crying. I'm stronger than that_.

The cold hands grabbed her leather jacket.

This was it.

"GO!"

The unfamiliar male voice made her question whether she was still alive or dead. But when the clutching hand loosened its grip on her wirst, Harley opened her eyes. Gunshots were fired and the walkers that had been standing before her not so long ago were now lying still on the ground. She gasped at the sight and frowned. "GET DOWN GIRL!" a different voice yelled from her left side. Without doubt Harley dropped herself onto the ground and covered her head. Bullets were shot from behind her and when she listened to the noise in confusion, she realised it was an automatic gun. _What the fuck?_ she thought, not understanding what was happening.

"Are you alright?"

She wasn't sure how she had been lying there, but when she looked up, she saw a man standing before her. He couldn't be much older than 28 or so, as he extended his hand to her. Harley allowed the man to pull her up her feet. "_Ma'am?_ Are you okay?"

Harley looked up at the man and nodded. She inhaled deeply in order to clear her head. "I-I suppose." she said while her voice was still trembling, just as her body. The adrenaline was still rushing through her veins and Harley hugged herself in shock. "That was quite a situation you had there. Though your fighting skills are pretty damn good." the man attempted with a soft smile. Harley returned the gesture as she smiled back briefly.

The man offered her his hand again, and Harley shook it. "I'm Martinez. These are the guys I'm travelling with." the man spoke, as he nodded at the 4 men behind them. They all walked towards the two of them, while some of them smiled and waved awkwardly. "We are not going to hurt you." Martinez assured while he patted her arm. Harley flinched at first but calmed down right after that. His voice was somehow soothing, and Harley was pretty damn tired of having to fight and run away all the time. Even _if_ these men were bad, she probably wouldn't care if they'd kill her. "I'm Harley." she succeeded to say. The men behind her nodded and Martinez smiled. "Well Harley, we are planning on travelling northwards. Going to set up a camp. Just a few minutes of walking. Why don't you stay with us for the night? We have enough supplies and a spare tent. I'm sure you could use a decent amount of sleep, after all you've been through. We can talk later."

Harley realised Daryl had most of their supplies. All she had left, was her weapons, 3 bottles of water and a few granola bars. She wouldn't make it very far if she would refuse Martinez' offer. Harley nodded. "That would be very kind of you." she replied. Martinez nodded to his men and they started to walk towards the forest. Harley followed them and glanced around one last time, to imprint the place in her thoughts. Nearly dying seemed to become part of her every day routine. Just like every other nearly-dead experience she had managed to outrun the Grim. It made her feel a little bit more powerful and she gained hope.

_Not today, you fucker._

* * *

**_[A/N] She will reunite with the group soon, promise! ;) R+R! 3_**


	18. Chapter 18

It almost seemed like the groans were still captured inside her head. Spite of her strong personality, Harley had to admit that this time it had been a close call._ I survived_. Every 5 minutes she would pinch herself and blink her eyes a few times to make sure she was still here.

The men that had shared their food with her were all very welcoming for some reason; even though she was a girl, they didn't seemed to be very bothered by this. Harley talked about what had happened to her during the last few months when she had been out here by herself. She didn't mention the prison and the people that had been there, but she however did talk about the group that killed her family. After she had finished her story, they told her that she was a strong woman for being alone and able to survive for so long. '_We all lost people_,' Martinez had told her, '_we are from a town called Woodbury. The leader, who called himself the Governor, went nuts and started a war with a different group of people. But we left before all of that. We didn't support his choices and we were not going to harm another group of people without reason_.'

Harley was shocked because of that, but Martinez and his men didn't seem to take this very seriously, since any decent human being would be shocked because of this. She had to bite her lips in order to keep her mouth shut about the group, but she succeeded because she didn't want anything bad to happen to Rick and his group.

"So, what are your names again?" Harley asked while stirring the bowl of veggie soup in her hands. The hot steam blew into her face and warmed her cheeks. The five of them were sitting around a camp fire and the trees surrounding them offered them protection. The iron wire with cans around the tents functioned as an alarm for walkers.

"I'm Steve," the youngest of the group said. His hair was black and he had black stubbles. Steve couldn't be much older than Harley herself. "Martinez." the leader of them said. Harley rolled her eyes and smirked. "I know. I'm not going to forget the first face I saw after my near-death experience, you know."

Martinez grinned and continued to eat his soup. "I'm Harry." a raspy voice said. It was a large man, with a beard and long brown hair that was in a ponytail. He looked frightening but then Harley remembered seeing Merle Dixon for the first time. She chuckled quietly and nodded at the man.

"Wiley. Nice to meet you." Harley turned to the man, who had blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He was about his mid thirties, and quite handsome. "Were you a model?" she blurted out, trying to ignore the embarrassed tone in her voice. The men laughed and shook their heads, while Wiley just grinned at her. "Not really. Had a boring office job before all of this happened. To be honest, my life almost seemed to be improved because of this." he answered with a wink. Harley playfully raised her eyebrows at him.

"I'm Nash," the last man said, "not as good looking as the Wiley fella." he added teasingly. Harley rolled her eyes and laughed. The man was in his late 50's with dark grey hair and he looked fit for his age. "So," Harley said, "Steve, Martinez, Harry, Wiley and Nash. That right?"

The men nodded. "And you're Harley." Martinez stated sheepish. Harley nodded and chuckled. "Last time I checked I'm Harley indeed." she replied.

"Well Harley, it's truly an honor to have you with us."

* * *

"Ya be fuckin' wi' me?!"

"Ya heard wat I said, I ain' leavin'."

The Dixon brothers were only a few inches away from eachother. Merle's face was reddened with rage, while Daryl seemed perfectly normal. "These mofo's ain't goin' ta let me stay." Merle snapped while pointing his finger accusingly at Daryl. "'Cuz ya be actin' like a dick!" Daryl fired back while he refused to look away from his brother's stare. Merle snorted and turned around. "Ol' Merle did all o' this shit ta make a man out 'o ya 'n this 's how ya_ thank_ me? By kickin' me out like trash?! If ya wan' me gone, jus' say it already Darylina! I can take a fuckin' hint!" Merle screamed as he turned around again to look at the younger Dixon.

This had been going on all morning; the two of them arguing on whether to stay or not. Merle had been clear about that; he wanted to take his stuff and leave with Daryl. However Daryl wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon; he was too invested in this group. After all the shit they had been through with eachother, Daryl didn't want to just throw all of that away. Besides, Merle was the one to act like a complete asshole, which caused him to get cuffed to a pipe on a fucking _roof._ "I don' wan' ya ta leave, bro_—_" "_—_but yer jus' a goddamn _pussy!_ Officer friendly swallowed yer balls, baby bro, an' ya too goddamn naive 'n _blind_ ta_ see_!"

Daryl shook his head and mumbled something under his breath. He turned around and passed the living room, ignoring all the frightened glances the people gave him. The heavy footsteps followed him to the front door. "Where tha fuck d'ya think yer goin'? We ain't done talkin' yet!" Merle yelled. The hunter ignored the blaring voice and took the crossbow that was lying on the wooden table near the door. "Goin' huntin'. Jus' leave me be."

The door was shut with a loud bang and Merle shook his head at the stubborness of his little brother. _Damn Dixon_, he thought while grinding his teeth.

"Ya know ya welcome ta stay."

Merle turned around and scowled. The face of Rick Grimes was probably the last thing he wanted to see right now. "Don't play games wi' me, Officer _Friendly_. We both know tha' ya hate me, as fo' tha' group o' yours." Merle scoffed in response. Rick frowned and shook his head. "Yer Daryl's brother. Daryl's our family, so tha' makes ya our family s'well." he replied simply. Merle laughed but stopped when he realized Rick was actually being serious. "Ya jus' need ta follow som' rules 'n ya will be good." Rick added quickly.

"Now there's tha problem Officer, I ain't very _good_ wi' followin' tha rules."


	19. Chapter 19

**[**_6 weeks time leap_**]**

"Harl! _Git yer ass over here!_"

The husky whisper drew her attention. Harley looked at Steve, who gave her an assuring nod. She sneaked into the big grocery store and tried to find the source of the voice that had called her. "Where are you?" she whispered as she lifted her gun. "Lower yer gun, _love._ I'm old but I ain't old 'nough ta wann' get shot."

The voice was louder this time and Harley smirked. She obeyed his voice, taking a few steps forward while she lurked into the alleys. When she saw the familiar face of Harry she chuckled quietly and walked towards him. Harry grinned and grabbed her hand. Harley raised her eyebrows in return and looked at what he had laid into her hand. "Chocolate?" she whispered in disbelief. "Actual_ chocolate?_ Ain't it long over the expiration date?"

Harry shook his head and smiled, while Harley laughed with joy. She tore away the package and examined the brown substance that was already melting between her warm palms. Without saying another word, she shoved the chocolate bar as far as possible into her mouth and moaned when she tasted the sweetness. Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes with a smile, while he continued to grab as many food as possible.

"Guys, hurry. We need to be back in 10."

They both looked up at Steve and nodded in response. Harley helped Harry to grab the remaining groceries they needed.

* * *

The leaves were cracking underneath his weight and Daryl became slightly annoyed with him. He turned around and laid a finger on his lips as he looked at his older brother, who only smirked in response. Daryl rolled his eyes and grinded his teeth, but raised his crossbow anyhow. Even though they had plenty enough food and other supplies, Daryl wanted to hunt to get out of the house. They considered the place their new home for now and they had built a fence around the property to secure for walkers. Merle had gotten into several fights with Shane and two of their brawls even escalated, leaving both of them with a bloodied nose. The first time, Daryl just let it happen, knowing there was no point in stopping Merle. The second time however, he had jumped between them along with Rick. They managed to get the two of them to stop fighting, but not without getting bruised theirselves.

Meanwhile, Glenn, Beth and Michonne were still missing. Once Daryl found out the truth, about how nobody had seen any of them after the fall of the prison, Daryl had yelled at them for not sending out search parties. He was angry, because he _had_ to leave Harley behind, and he had no choice other than to accept her fate. So the fact that the group didn't even_ try_ to search for the three missing people pissed him off, to say the least.

Sometimes Daryl would think about Harley. He wondered whether she had suffered or not, and he dearly hope she hadn't; these thoughts would end up making him feel even more guilty than he already did.

"Ya plannin' on shootin' anythin' today or 'r we just doin' cardio?"

The familiar hoarsh voice interrupted his thoughts and Daryl growled immediately. "If ya ever decide ta shut tha hell up, then maybe I fuckin' will." Daryl grunted back to Merle, who smirked and shook his head. "You's a pussy, is wha' yer are. Yellin' at Officer Friendly 'bout those missin' people, but shuttin' yer baby born mouth once he tells ya to."

Daryl stopped in his tracks and froze on the spot. Even though he didn't want to admit it, his brother was right. Somehow he had allowed Rick to make this decision, while these people might actually still be alive.

"Yer listenin', Darylina? Don'tcha worry 'bout our _Nubian queen_ 'n our princess, they_ fine._ Asian kid migh' still be alive 'swell. Is tha' lil' cute blondie 'm worryin' 'bout."

Daryl turned around and pointed his finger at Merle. "Ya best shut tha hell up, bro. Ya ain't know nothin'." he snapped. The fact that his older brother had to play a know-it-all as usual made his blood boil. Even in times like these, during an apocalypse, he still couldn't overcome his bad habits. But would he ever?

_Prol'ly not_, he mocked in thought.

Merle slapped D'saryl hand away with his own. "Ya ever goin' ta listen t' wha' I'm tellin' ya, or do I need ta grow my hand back ta slap som' sense in ya?! Fer fucks sake, Darylina, I ain't tha fuckin' enemy here! I'm yer fuckin'_ brother,_ case ya didn't know, alrigh'?! I don't give a_ shit_ 'bout dem people 'ere, but if you's gettin' yer panties all twisted, might 'swell break it t' ya!" Merle growled, while he looked at him with an annoyed look on his face. Daryl wanted to open his mouth to reply, but Merle raised his hand to make him shut up. When Daryl wanted to ask him what was wrong, he already knew as heard the sound of cracking leaves and hushed voices. They quickly lowered themselves behind a bush.

Merle counted on his fingers and readied his prosthetic arm, while Daryl nodded and raised his crossbow.

When Merle nodded, they came out of their hiding at the same time.

"Dolly _survived_?" Merle asked dumbly as soon as he saw who the strangers were. He blinked his eyes a few times. "Thought ya were s'pposed ta be all _fat_ 'n stuff."

"If you're trying to flirt with me, it's not working." the annoyed voice replied while she stepped forward. Merle chuckled, but suddenly both the Dixon brothers looked surprised when they noticed Lori's companions. "Well be _damned_. My sweet Nubian queen 'n _blondie_. We were jus' talkin' 'bout y'all." Merle said, while Daryl lowered his crossbow and frowned. Merle winked at Beth who blushed and Lori gave him a cautioning look. "Don' got Glenn wi' ya?" Daryl asked while nodding over their shoulder. Beth stared at the ground and Michonne shook her head. "Did you guys find anyone else?" Lori asked hesitatingly. Daryl smirked and Merle grinned. "Yer goin' ta love this,_ Dolly_."


	20. Chapter 20

"Who tha fuck 'r ye, boy?! Ya better give us som' answers, unless ya wann' get killed!"

Harley slowly opened her eyes and realized it was still dark outside of her tent. She moaned softly, while her eyelids protested because of the early awakening. She sat up straight to listen to the voices, while doubting whether she had been dreaming or not.

"That's kind of funny, because if you kill _me_, I won't hesitate to shoot you, too."

For some reason, Harley shivered; the voice sounded familiar, yet she couldn't place the right face with it. Her mind was still fuzzy because of the sleep. She stood up and got out of her tent. Four figures were standing in the distance.

"Not if we shoot you in the head, boy. You better do as he says and start talking."

"_Hey_!" Harley exclaimed while she ran towards the men. They all turned around. "_Harley_?" the familiar voice tried, sounding vulnerable. Harley smiled and ran towards the man to hug him. They hadn't been very good friends, but the fact that she saw one of _them_ alive stirred something up inside of her. She felt the uncomprehending eyes burning through her back, but Harley ignored them and wrapped her arms around the guy. His laughter filled the chilly night air and he relaxed under her touch. "I never thought I would be _this_ happy to see you," he admitted teasingly. Harley let go of him and turned around. Martinez and Nash looked at her as they obviously waited for an explanation. "He's from my previous group," Harley explained while giving Glenn a wink. "He isn't a threat." she quickly added.

"Yeah, no _shit_ darlin'. He's alone 'n we are with 6." said Nash mockinly with a grin. Harley rolled her eyes and turned to Glenn again. "Are you alone?" she asked. Glenn nodded sadly. "Haven't seen anyone since the prison. I saw Beth escape with Michonne, that's all."

Harley nodded and looked at Martinez who still seemed to be lost in thought, but he eventually opened his mouth to speak. "Well, let's get you something to eat then, and then we'll talk. Anyone who's a friend of Harley is a friend of us."

* * *

Carl sat on the porch while he gazed in the distance.

His father and Shane were inside the house, discussing on what to do next. Regardless of how happy he was about his father being stable again, he didn't agree with his decision about staying in the house; they had to keep moving. That's what Rick used to say before they had found the prison. Yet he was the one saying that they had to stay in the house.

The younger Grimes sighed. During moments like these he missed his mom. He hadn't seen her since they escaped from the prison and he wasn't sure if his mom was still alive in the first place. He liked to think that she was, knowing Lori would do anything to stay alive, but he doubted it because of her physical state.

"Why 'r ya sittin' here by yerself, little man?"

Carl looked up and saw Maggie smiling at him. He managed to press out a smile in return, but he knew he couldn't fool her; Maggie would talk to him often now that Lori was gone. Sure, he appreciated it, but it also annoyed him; to think he was just a little boy who didn't do anything else besides crying over his mom.

"I just wanted to be alone for a little while." he confessed while he took off his Sheriff's hat. Maggie sighed. "So I guess ya wouldn' want me joinin' ya?" Maggie said sadly in a teasing way. Carl chuckled and shook his head. "You can join me if you want to." he mumbled.

Maggie sat down beside him. "Yer dad changed his mind 'bout stayin' here."

Carl looked at Maggie and frowned. "Why? What does he want to do now?" he asked. "Continue travellin' northwards, I guess." she replied.

Just when he was about to rant in disagreement, he heard voices. Maggie heard them too and she looked up to where they had come from. "Go inside Carl." she whispered while she grabbed her gun out of her holster, but it was too late. Maggie gave him an angry look, but Carl gestured to the bushes in front of them. Maggie raised her eyebrows and waited for whatever was to come.

When the Dixon brothers appeared from behind the bushes, they both calmed down. Maggie smirked and Carl grinned.

It took them both a moment to realize that the Dixons weren't alone.

Carl jumped up from the porch when he saw the familiar face of his mother. As soon as Lori noticed Carl, her eyes started to well up with tears. They wrapped their arms around eachother and Lori pressed kissed all over Carl's face. "Mom ew!" Carl exclaimed in protest. Everyone laughed in response.

The others came out of the house now as well.

"What's goin' on?" Rick asked slightly annoyed when he walked down the porch. He saw Lori then. "Oh my god." he breathed as he gripped his hair. Rick walked slowly towards his wife and wordless tears rolled down his cheek. "Lori.." he whispered in disbelief. Lori let go of Carl and walked towards Rick, while she was still crying. "You're okay." Rick whispered. "You're okay, you're okay."

The couple stood in front of eachother and Rick touched Lori's cheek, as if he wanted to make sure she was real. They embraced eachother and kissed eachother.

"Bethy!"

Maggie sprinted towards her little sister, who both cried and laughed in response. They hugged eachother and fell on the ground, but they didn't let go. Maggie pressed Beth against her and laughed. "Papa and I were 'fraid ya were dead." Maggie whispered, obiously feeling guilty. Beth giggled. "Well, surprise. Let go of me Mags, you're choking me!" she laughed.

Amongst all the happy people and families reuniting, Daryl just watched them in silence. He couldn't share their happiness, so he turned around and jogged into the forest instead. Even though he had attempted to hunt with his older brother earlier, he wanted to go again. Merle had been a distraction so he hadn't really gotten the chance to shoot anything.

And then they found all the missing people from their group.

Daryl was glad that they were safe and sound. The fact that Beth survived calmed him down too, since he wasn't sure whether she would've survived if she had been on her own or not. Glenn was still out there, but something inside him told him not to worry about that; Glenn was strong and smart.

Daryl continued to walk when he knew he was far away from the house and the group. The sun started to disappear behind the sun and the air became chillier.

A figure caught his attention. He thought it was a walker at first, but when he didn't hear the familiar groaning and moaning he knew he was wrong. The person wore a hoodie, so the only thing he saw was the dark blue coat. The stranger sat down on the ground, with his legs crossed.

_Tha fuck?_

Daryl tried to be as silent as possible. He held his crossbow ready and closed the distance between him and the stranger. He launched himself onto him and used choke hold to keep him under control.

"What the_ fuck_?!"

He frowned once he realized the stranger was a woman.

"Let the fuck go of me!"

When he realized he had heard the voice before, he tried to remember who it belonged to.

His heart skipped a beat when he found out the answer.

Daryl loosened his grip. The girl seized her chance and pushed him off her. Before he knew what was happening, he received a punch to the nose. Daryl grasped his nose. "Fuck!" he yelled as he fell on the ground. The girl with the hoodie threw herself onto him and sat on his stomach with a knife pushed against his throat. Daryl opened his eyes, wondering if his mind was playing tricks with him. Even though he knew he shouldn't believe what was happening, he dearly hoped this was all true.

"Daryl?"

The girl removed the hoodie and dropped her knife. Daryl stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say nor do. "Oh my god." she whispered. Harley offered him a hand and she pulled him up his feet. They stared at eachother for a long time, until Harley threw her arms around him. Daryl froze on the spot as he tried to process what was happening. _Harley is alive. Harley didn't die_. The hunter hesitated, but eventually wrapped one arm around her shoulder. He patted her and he had to admit, he had missed this stubborn woman. They used to fight a lot, but that was only because they were so much alike. Maybe all of this finally would finally open their eyes, as a sign to stop fighting with eachother.

"How tha' fuck did ya get out?" he asked as he eyed her. Harley rolled her eyes. "Can't you just be happy that I survived?" she mumbled in return. Daryl snorted. "Yeah,_ boo-hoo_ 'n all that sad shit. Why ya ain't dead? Why didn' ya jus' come back right away? We thought ya were dead."

Harley laid a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down Dixon. How the hell was I supposed to find you?" she said calmly. Daryl sighed and shook his head. "Somebody saved ya?"

The girl nodded. Daryl's expression changed to suspicion. "_Who_?"

"Drop the crossbow and move away slowly."

Harley rolled her eyes when she heard Martinez behind them. Daryl turned around and looked at the group of men. "Like _hell_ I'm gonna." he scoffed. Harley let go of Daryl. "They _saved_ me." she tried to reassure him dryly, answering Daryl's question from earlier. "Daryl is my friend Martinez, it's fine."

Wiley stepped forward and scowled. "He the same friend who left you for dead?"

Daryl snorted loudly and pointed his finger threateningly. "You ain't know _shit!_ Best keep yer damn mouth shut, sunshine!" he yelled. Harley sighed and grabbed Daryls other arm. Daryl jumped up and distanced himself from Wiley as he kept watching him closely. "Like I said, _he_ didn't leave _me_. _I_ told him to go, because we were outnumbered and the walkers were coming** my** way. There's no use in two dead people, if one can make it out alive, don't you think?"

Everyone turned around to look at her in shock, including Daryl. "Yer one tough missy, ya know tha'?" Nash said with a smirk. Harley laughed and shook her head. The awkward feeling between Daryl and her had vanished completely, and Daryl wondered what happened to her while Harley was seperated from the group.


	21. Chapter 21

The four of them walked back to the camp of Martinez' group. Wiley and Martinez walked a few miles in front of them. Harley and Daryl walked next to eachother, both of them staring at the ground as they moved their feet.

"Jus' a question," Daryl started, "why tha' hell were ya sittin' on the ground in tha' weird pose?"

When he had seen her, Harley sat on the ground with her legs crossed.

Harley snorted. "I was meditating." she admitted sheepish.

Daryl looked at her and raised his eyebrows playfully. Harley looked at him and shot him an cautioning look. "Don't even start about it. You better not tell that _pain-in-the-ass_ brother of yours or anyone else. Keep it to yourself or I will find you." she said threateningly yet playfully. Daryl grinned. "Last time I checked, I'm tha one who found you." he said as he smirked at her. Harley shook her head and laughed quietly. "I was desperate, okay? Just stressed out." she explained. He laughed again, and this time Harley laughed along with him.

When they finally reached the camp, Daryl stopped and looked at Glenn, who hadn't noticed him yet. Harley smiled and as soon as Glenn heard the footsteps behind him, he turned around. "Daryl?" he asked dumbly. Daryl walked towards the fire and casually patted him on the back. "Knew ya were doin' okay. Yer one tough asian."

Glenn frowned.

"Korean, whatever." Daryl quickly said before he could say anything about it.

The group spent the rest of the evening chatting with eachother. It felt almost as if the apocalypse had never happened; they had plenty of food, even alcohol, and everybody made jokes. Harley had explained to Daryl what had happened to her, how this group had saved her and how she had stayed with them ever since.

"I think it's best if you stay here for the night." Martinez told Daryl, who was holding a bottle of whiskey in his hands. The hunter nodded silently and stared into the flames again. Harley looked at Martinez. "_Wait_—you don't want to go with him? To meet the group?" she asked. Martinez met her worrisome glance and shrugged. "I don't think so Harls. You can go with him, though." he answered while he heaved a sigh. Harley lowered her look to the ground for a while before she replied. "You can atleast meet them first and then see if you'll still feel the same way."

Martinez nodded. "Sure. Well, I'm gonna call it a night. Daryl, we don't have any spare tents left, so.." he started awkwardly as he stood up. The rest of the men followed his example, except for Harry who had watch duty. "He can sleep in my tent." Harley blurted out, before realizing what she was offering. It shouldn't be a big deal, since they had shared a tent before when they were traveling together. Daryl raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Martinez smiled and nodded. "Alright then. Goodnight, y'all."

Glenn smiled at Daryl and Harley. "See you guys tomorrow." he said as he grabbed his blankets and walked towards his own tent. Harry was the only one left, though he stood up to check the perimeter. A silence between them followed and Harley stood up. When Daryl turned around, she pointed at the army green tent in the distance. "That's my tent. Just so you know." she said sheepish. Daryl nodded and stood up aswell to follow her. When they reached the tent, Harley unzipped it and stepped inside. Daryl followed her and zipped it behind him. The alcohol must've been too much for him, because he stumbled over the blankets and fell on the ground when he tried to turn around. Harley looked at him and burst out in laughter. "_Shut_ up." he grumbled quietly as he closed his eyes.

Harley had grabbed the first aid kit. She sat down next to Daryl and pulled him up. "Hold still." she commanded, while she wetted a cloth with some water. "Tha fuck ya think yer doin'?" he asked suspiciously as he eyed her. Harley smiled softly. "Your nose." she explained while she moved forward until she sat in front of him. Daryl avoided her glance. "Don't need yer help." he said as he scowled. Harley rolled her eyes and pressed the cloth on his nose. Daryl jumped up and growled. "Fuck!" he hissed. "Ya lil' _shit_! Wha' was tha' for?!" he exclaimed. Harley giggled. "To make you realize you _do_ need help. All you have to do is hold still. Besides, you helped me too once, remember? I owe you this one." she said as she started to remove the dried blood from his face. "You's hit by a bullet, ain't tha same 's this." he protested, though Harley ignored him and continued anyway.

Daryl watched her in silence as she gently rubbed away the blood and dirt. He occasionally would hiss over the pain. The silence between them was comfortable and it didn't seem to bother neither of them, since they both prefered the silence over the noisy people.

"I'm sorry I punched you." Harley said quietly. Daryl continued to look at her. "Hmm?" was the only response she received. The girl looked up and realized he had been looking at her this whole time. A smile appeared on her face. "I said, I'm sorry I punched you." she repeated, which caused Daryl to grin at her. "Don' worry 'bout it, I'll survive. If ya can survive 'bunch 'o walkers, then sure 's hell I can live through this."

As soon as she was finished, she put the first aid kit back where it belonged. Harley grabbed her sweatpants and oversized shirt, but looked at Daryl first before changing. "Turn around." she urged. Daryl smirked. "Why? 'S dark anyway." he said teasingly, causing Harley to sigh loudly. "Don't be a pansy, saw ya change before." Daryl stated.

"You mean when I was drunk all the time to numb the pain from a bullet wound? Nice try, Dixon." Harley scoffed, though Daryl continued to grin. The hunter pretended to close his eyes and Harley turned around to hide her chest so she could change. She struggled to pull the sticky jeans off her. "Ya actin' like yer lookin' like some sort 'o deformed alien."

Harley finally managed to get out of the jeans, and she quicky put the sweatpants on. "Was that a compliment I just heard?" she asked, utterly surprised. Daryl snorted behind her. "No." he scoffed, though Harley laughed childishly. "Daryl Dixon just complimented me, this day can't get any better." she said with a whistle as she turned around. Harley laid down on the blankets, leaving enough space between her and Daryl as she did so. The last thing she needed, was to give him the wrong impression; she knew he was influenced from the shitload of alcohol he had just consumed, but she enjoyed how they teasingly interacted with eachother.

"Yeah, well dream on." he mumbled as he turned around. Harley chuckled. "Goodnight, Daryl." she said while she tried to hold back a yawn.

"Night, Harley."


	22. Chapter 22

The loud snores from the man next to her, made her wake up. Harley looked annoyed and rolled her eyes at the sight of the hunter. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and got up.

She grabbed some new clothes, a white tank top and her jeans, and undid herself from her oversized t-shirt. When she had found new panties, she changed into it and tried to find a new bra. "Fuck." she whispered, knowing for sure she had gotten a new one on their last run.

It was awfully quiet. _Too quiet._ Harley wondered what was different, but then she gasped and realized the familiar snores weren't to be heard. Harley turned around and covered her bare front with both her hands. Daryl's eyes were opened and he looked at her with an amused expression on his face. Harley's mouth turned into an 'o' and she shook her head. The redness in her cheeks revealed the embarrasment and she thanked god for the darkness in their tent, since it was only about 7 or 8 AM.

Harley grasped her blanket and wrapped it around her naked torso. "How long have you been awake?!" she wondered in disbelief. Daryl chuckled and sat up straight. "Long 'nough for ya ta make mah day." he said with a childish grin. The dark circles under his eyes confirmed that he was clearly hung over, and Harley tried to force back the laughter. Daryl's grin disappeared. "What's so funny?" he asked with a serious tone. Harley laughed and covered her mouth with one hand, causing the blanket to fall down. Daryl's eyes widened and Harley stopped laughing.

"I'm naked, aren't I?" Harley asked dumb, on which Daryl nodded. Harley quickly retrieved the blanket. The two of them looked at eachother in silence. After a few minutes, they both burst out in laughter. Harley buried her face in her hands while Daryl's low-voiced laughter filled the air.

The laughter died away and Harley sighed loudly. Their stomachs hurted from laughing too hard. "Well, that totally brought our friendship to a new level." Harley said while she shook her head. "But seriously though, turn around or close your eyes, because I need to change."

Something in Daryl's face changed when she said those words, though Harley couldn't see it since she had turned around. He shook his head and obeyed as he turned around. It didn't make sense to Daryl, why he somehow felt disappointed after she labeled them as 'friends'. Maybe he hoped it would've been more than that.. But it didn't surprise him. Harley was way out of his league.

From the two of them, Merle was the ladiesman, but Daryl was way too shy and insecure for that. Not to mention, Daryl was the total opposite of his older brother when it came to women; Merle only wanted sex, though Daryl was scared of being touched in the first place. He blamed his ol' man for that.

Harley turned around and started to gather her belongings. "You can turn around, Dixon."

Daryl turned around and stood up to grab his clothes. "Wha' 'r ya doin'?" he asked suspiciously as he eyed her. Harley looked up from her bag at Daryl. "What does it look like I'm doing?" she smirked as started to throw her clothes into a bag. "Don'tcha wann' stay with yer _groupie_?" it sounded harsh and somehow mean, but Daryl didn't seem to realize it and continued to get dressed. Harley frowned. "Are you _suggesting_ something?" she wondered, offended by his sudden change of tone. Daryl shook his head. "I don' care."

Harley stopped packing and stood up so they stood across from eachother. "I thought you were happy to see me." she said quietly. "I thought ya were dead." Daryl replied simply, almost cruel. Harley bit her lower lip. She didn't reply but grabbed her bag, weapons and belongings instead and went outside, leaving Daryl behind.

_Yer such a lil' pansy, ya know tha'? _

Daryl grinded his teeth when he heard Merle's voice in his head. Even when the fucker was only a few miles away, he always managed to invade his private thoughts to make him feel miserable.

The look on Harley's face when Daryl said those words.. He didn't know why he was treating her like that. Probably because she could make him feel like this; guilty and miserable. Even when Daryl thought she was dead a few days ago, Harley was still on his mind, though he didn't like to admit it. He never bothered to pay attention to women and he was frustrated with himself that he now infact, was.

Harley was different. He still had to find out if it was good kind of different, since they somehow thought the same. Some of the characteristics they shared was a different story however. In the past, when they had been travelling together, they used to fight over the similarities. Would it be any different this time?

When he was fully dressed, Daryl left the tent. Should he apologize? His first reaction was _hell no,_ but maybe he had to get over himself and tell her he was sorry for his behavior. Surely she would understand. If anyone would understand, it'd be her.

The girl was nowhere to be seen. Daryl snorted loudly and figured she'd probably ran off. When he found her tracks, his suspicions were confirmed. He retrieved his crossbow out of the tent and decided to follow the tracks.

Twenty minutes later, Daryl saw Harley fighting off a small herd with around twelve walkers. He ran towards her and shot and arrow at one of the walkers heads. Harley hadn't noticed him yet and continued to fight off the walkers. He loaded his crossbow again and continued to kill the walkers.

"_Don't!_" he heard her yell in frustration. "I don't need your help." he heard her growl in the distance, though Daryl continued the process until all the walkers were lying dead on the ground. Harley was covered in blood from head to toe and she didn't looked happy with him. "_What the fuck_?! I told you that I had this under control!"

Anger rose within him and Daryl walked towards Harley until their noses were practically touching. He pointed at her. "Yer a dumb _bitch_, ya know tha'?!" he screamed. Harley stepped back, still furious yet somehow frightened. Daryl shook his head and growled. He dropped his crossbow and ran towards Harley, who was frozen on the spot. He pushed her against the tree behind her and pinned her beneath him, so she couldn't get away. "Ya survived a fuckin' ambush of a herd, 'cuz of a fuckin' miracle. 'N here ya 're, wantin' ta git yerself killed?! Ya got som' serious issues goin' on! Ya could've bin killed!" he screamed, his eyes filled with rage. Harley shook her head and pressed her lips in a thin line. "Oh yeah, because you would really would give a damn if I would be dead! I know how you look at me, like I'm the worlds biggest _bitch_!" she yelled. Daryl let go of her when he realized she was doing this because of_ him_. His words had somehow affected her.

Harley started to walk away, but stopped and turned around. "God help me, I actually like you Dixon! But you're just another idiot who pushes people away. It's not wrong to _like_ somebody, for fucks sake! Stop with the tough guy shit already! If you don't like me, that's fucking fine, but don't put this shit on _me_! I didn't choose for this all to happen! I didn't ask the herd to fucking kill me so you could continue on your own! I didn't ask the fucking group to _save_ me! But sometimes, you just need to fucking deal with stuff as it is."

At the end of her speech, she was panting heavily. Daryl hadn't turned around.

"You know what?_ Fine_. I don't need this shit. After all, you don't know me and I don't know you."

And with those words, she left him alone.


	23. Chapter 23

When Daryl returned to the camp, the others were already up and about. Harley sat on a log near the fire, but neither of them attempted to make eye contact. Even though he regret saying those things to Harley, he couldn't change it. People had left him before in his life. People he cared about. For some reason, he was afraid Harley might get too close and do the same, which was ridiculous, since she didn't like him in the first place.

Or maybe that was just what he thought. That she was another person who saw him as a useless redneck scumbag.

"Alright, why don't you show us the way to that group of yours?"

Daryl snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Martinez. He suddenly realized that this guy had worked for the governor. "Am I supposed ta trust ya tha' easily?" Daryl grumbled, though he knew it was better to drop the matter, judging from the hateful glances he received from the others. "The governor was a twisted man. I didn't support his choices nor did I agree with him, so can we just forget that already? Attacking your group wouldn't achieve anything." Martinez explained matter of factly. Daryl nodded once and hoisted the crossbow on his back. The men followed him as Daryl took the lead.

Glenn caught up with Daryl. "Is Maggie.." he started, though he couldn't finish the sentence. Daryl looked at him and smirked. "She's doin' jus' fine. Don' worry." he assured her, making Glenn smile in relief.

They walked for another 20 minutes, until they neared a white house. Daryl hadn't said anything or Glenn was already running. He chuckled under his breath as he watched the guy run up the porch. Not soon after, he heard the joyful cries from Maggie.

Harley walked past Daryl. Their shoulders gently brushed against one another and Daryl halted in his tracks, though Harley didn't seem to notice nor care.

* * *

Carl jumped up when he saw the familiar figure of Harley. His mouth dropped and he gazed at her as if she were a creature from outer space. "Missed me?" she teased, while she dropped her bag onto the porch and removed her hoodie. Carl ran up to her and hugged her. "We.. Daryl said.. I.." she heard the boy stammer in her hair. "_Easy_ Carl, I'm alive and well." She chuckled in response.

"Is tha' mah piece o' shit brother? He finally decided ta quit tha hide 'n seek? Ya best get yer ass over here right now Daryl, or I—"

Merle froze on the spot when he saw Harley standing in front of him. Carl let go of Harley and stepped aside. The girl gave Merle a challenging look and waited for him to speak.

"Holy shit princess, you's still alive?" he wondered sheepish as he stepped forward. Harley rolled her eyes and pulled Merle into a tight hug. "I know, I know, you missed me." she mumbled as she held him. Merle chuckled into her ear and moved his hands down on her back. Harley noticed though, and slapped his hands away as she let go of him. "Like a fuckin' disease." Merle replied with a grin, on which Harley punched him on the shoulder while she laughed.

Martinez and Daryl suddenly appeared from behind her. Merle wanted to say something to Daryl, but then he noticed Martinez. "Tha fuck?" he growled in question as he stared at the man. Martinez heard the familiar voice and looked at Merle. Before Merle could lunge himself at Martinez, Harley held up her hands. "No stop! He's with me! He _saved_ me!" she yelled. Merle glared at Martinez. "That true?" Merle asked, while his hands were still fisted at his sides. Martinez only nodded.

The whole group came out of the house to see what the commotion was all about. Before she knew what was happening, Harley was hugged by several people. The last one was Rick, who smiled at her afterwards. Harley grinned back in return.

* * *

Everyone was in the living room, including Martinez' group. After Harley had explained everything to Rick, he calmed down and had allowed them to stay for atleast the night.

The room was filled with people. Harley stood next to Maggie and Dale, while they all looked at Rick who was about to speak.

"Well, fair ta say we're all surprised 'bout Harley's return." Rick started. Though when he finished his sentence, they were interrupted by Merle's scoffing laughter. "Say whatever ya wanna say Officer friendly, but don'tcha dare speak fo' me. I knew from tha beginnin' tha' princess would return."

Some of Martinez' men were laughing quietly, while the others from Ricks group either rolled their eyes or looked annoyed at Merle. Harley frowned and looked at Merle, who winked at her. She laughed and covered her mouth.

"_Anyway,_—" Rick continued as he ignored Merle, "—she's not alone. Shane, Dale, Hershel 'nd I discussed it 'n we would like ta ask them ta stay with us."

People started talking with eachother. Some wondered out loud if it truly was a good idea to let them stay, while Martinez' group looked stunned. Harley and Nash exchanged looks and she seemed desperate. Nash nodded once in return and whispered something to Martinez, who frowned.

After a while, the group went silent. They all looked at Martinez, pending for his answer. The man cleared his throat and looked at Rick. "We will let you know by tomorrow morning. We thank you for your hospitality, though." he said with a smile.

* * *

Harley wrapped herself in blankets while she squeezed her eyes shut. Her tent was warm and she was sweating. The people from Ricks group were all staying inside, while Martinez' and his men were camping outside. Regardless from the reunion of Harley and Ricks group, she had her tent set up in the woods. After spending all this time in the forest, Harley was afraid to spent the nights elsewhere. She figured it was because of the ambush on the highway, which made sense since she didn't had any cover there.

She was _exhausted_. They all spent the night talking to eachother around the campfire and Harley was happy to be back with her friends. Though she dearly hoped Martinez would stay; she didn't want to think about them leaving. The thought of having to say goodbye to another loved one made her feel sick. Especially when she imagined what could happen out there, despite them being grown man who were perfectly capable of defending theirselves.

She drifted off to sleep. The darkness overwhelmed her and she thought about how happy she was, to be numb for a couple of hours.

However, she was wrong; she found herself back on the highway. The cars were in the exact same position and she turned around in panic. The smell of dead bodies and blood hung in the air and Harley strolled around desperately.

A groan behind her caused her to turn around. When she wanted to kill it however, a different groan caught her attention. Before she could react, a whole herd was coming her way. She wanted to run, but her feet were glued to the ground. When she wanted to grab her gun and knives, she realized she was unarmed. The groans became louder and she screamed.

Her body trembled and she was sweating. The tears on her cheek were dried and her lips were cracked. She sat up straight and panted heavily.

Suddenly, the entrance of her tent was unzipped. She couldn't see who it was until a flashlight shined in her eyes. Harley found the knife under her pillow and grabbed it, though a hand grabbed her wrist. "What the fuck?" she hissed. "Are ya alrigh'? I heard ya screamin', thought ya were bein' attacked or somethin'."

The familiar voice soothed her and she dropped her knife. The hunter let go of her wrist and distanced himself a little. Harley grasped her camping light and suddenly the whole tent was illuminated. Harley was happy yet angry with him, so she scowled and shook her head. "What the fuck are you doing here? You can't just shut me out and then walk into my tent like nothing ever happened!"

She immediately regret saying that, since she was obviously doing the same thing; scare him off so he couldn't get too close. Daryl sighed and stood up. He opened the flap of the tent.

"Wait."

Daryl turned around and frowned. "I'm sorry I just—" she swallowed the lump down her throat. "I had a nightmare." she confessed quietly. Daryl zipped the tent shut and looked down for a little while. He slowly walked towards her and sat down in front of her, leaving enough space between them. Harley stared at her hands. She felt his glance on her, though she didn't return it. Another sigh escaped her lips and she massaged her temples.

"I just—"

She didn't know what to say. Maybe she was afraid of having another outburst. The last thing she wated, was to be left alone again.

"I just keep seeing them in front of me." she whispered while she started to sob. The flashbacks were haunting her once again. "—how they all surround me and shit." she continued while she allowed the warm tears to roll down her cheeks. She covered her face in her hands, ashamed of letting Daryl see her in such a vulnerable state. After a while, she looked up at Daryl, who looked back at her with a blank expression on his face. Harley didn't care, because she knew how uncomfortable he probably felt right now. _"Fuck_.. I just.. I really thought I was going to die. I wasn't afraid back then, but now I am. I can't deal with this shit anymore. It's too much. I just want to sleep, without having to wake up in fear the next morning." she whispered. Daryl shook his head. "Ya don' have ta be afraid anymore. Ya got a whole bunch o' people who got yer back. 'Sides, you's still alive for a reason." he said calmly. Harley looked at him in surprise, though she didn't attempt to say anything. "Yer a tough sum'bitch, alrigh'? Yer goin' ta be jus' fine."

They looked at eachother. Neither of them said anything. After a while though, Daryl cleared his throat. "I should prol'ly head back."

Harley looked up and nodded. When he stood up though, Harley grabbed his hand. "Thank you Daryl." she mouthed. Daryl nodded with a faint smile.

The girl laid down and turned the light off. She heard how Daryl unzipped her tent and stepped outside, though he hesitated before leaving. "Harley?"

She sat up straight. "Yeah?"

It was almost like she could hear his heart pounding through his chest.

"I'm really glad yer back."


	24. Chapter 24

Harley smiled at Daryl in response, though she wasn't sure whether he had seen it or not. His footsteps died away and Harley tried to calm herself down. If Daryl would've stayed, she was sure she wouldn't be this nervous; he had managed to make the bad feelings disappear, as cheesy as it sounded.

As soon as she closed her eyes, the same nightmare chased her in her sleep again.

But when the walkers were coming her way with their teeth gnarling in her direction, something suddenly changed.

"Wha' tha hell, Harls? Dont'cha jus' fuckin' stand there, _move!_"

The voice. Harley tried to move her feet, but she couldn't. "I can't!" she cried, panicked.

Suddenly, two hands grabbed her waist and lifted her up. His warm breath was in her ear and she heard guns firing from every direction. "Yer lucky ya got me," he grumbled gently in her ear. "ya wouldn' survive 20 miles without me, pocahontas."

* * *

She gently opened her eyes. A yawn escaped her lips and she stretched her limbs. It took her a few minutes to realize that she had actually had a good night's sleep. She wondered why.

Harley attempted to clear her mind so she could remember her dream. When she found out the answer, she blushed heavily and pushed her face into her pillow. She couldn't remember the last time she dreamt about a guy, probably because she never bothered to care about them anyway.

"_Fuck_." she growled into her pillow while she tried to get the images out of her head. The last thing she needed, was to be distracted by an unimportant sign like this.

"Harls, ya awake?!"

The voices startled her. "Jesus christ Harry, can you like, not give me a fucking heart attack at 8 AM?!" she yelled back. Harry chuckled. "Get yer ass up girl, we leavin' in 20."

Fear overwhelmed her. "Leaving?" she repeated, while she immediately grabbed her clothes. Soon as she got dressed, she collected her guns and knives. Harley unzipped her tent and stumbled outside, though Harry caught her before she could hit the ground. "Easy tiger, we need ya whole." Harry grinned as he let go of her. Harley rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. When Harry realized she was waiting for an explanation, he heaved a sigh. "Yeah, we 'r stayin'."

The tension in her body disappeared and she smiled instead. "Really?!" she chirped. Harry nodded. "But yerself, me, Daryl, Merle, Rick, Shane, Martinez, Nash 'n Wiley 'r goin' on a run. We need some stuff, such as medicine and baby formula for tha kid."

Harley nodded and frowned. "What about Steve?" she wondered. Harry sighed again. "He's all caught up with tha kid. Judith 's 'er name, right? He's havin' a hard time because he lost his baby sister not long ago, before he joined us."

The girl felt sorry for him. Steve was only 1 year older than Harley, and he was like a brother to her. But she knew he needed time so he could mourn and process things. The only way to do that, was to leave him alone for a little while.

Harry and Harley walked up to the group. They had gathered extra ammunition to make sure they were properly armed, in case they'd ran into a different group somewhere. Rick divided the people into three groups. The groups were supposed to watch and cover one another during the supply run and they were also in the same car. Harley was paired up with Merle and Daryl, which wasn't a big surprise to Harley at all. Though she would've prefered to be paired up with either Martinez, Harry, Nash or Wiley instead. The dream about Daryl confused her and she had no idea what to think or how to feel about that. Harley pushed the thoughts away and got into the pick up. The door next to her opened, and Daryl looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. Harley attempted to smile and Daryl nodded as a greeting in return. He sat next to her when the other door opened. "Mornin' princess." Merle rasped as he sat behind the steering wheel. "Goodmorning." Harley replied casually.

No one spoke during the ride. Merle followed the cars in front of them, occasionally tapping on the steering wheel while he wondered whether to break the silence or not. It seemed to Harley that Merle knew what was going on between her and Daryl, though he didn't seem to know how to response. He had often caught the two of them fighting, back in the prison, but that was before Daryl had to leave Harley behind on the highway. Things were different now.

The cars in front of them slowed down and soon they all stopped at the side of the road. Merle frowned and did the same. "The fuck?" Daryl muttered as he opened the car door.

When everyone was outside, Rick spoke up. "I think 't's best if we all split up. Tha town we're 'bout ta see if pretty big, with 'tleast 4 grocery stores. Daryl, Merle and Harley can take tha first one, Shane, me 'n Wiley tha second, 'nd Martinez, Nash 'n Harry tha last one. Everythin' clear?"

Nobody protested and Rick nodded. "Alrigh' then, let's go."


	25. Chapter 25

They stopped outside the grocery Rick had told them to go to. Daryl got out of the car as soon as he could, leaving Merle and Harley alone. Harley wanted to do the same, though Merle grabbed her wrist. "What tha hell happened? Yer both on yer period 'r somethin'?" he grumbled as he let go of her. Harley sighed and shook her head. "I honestly don't know. Just forget about it, okay? The sooner we're out of here, the better."

Merle nodded and they both got out. Daryl was already tapping on the glass, anticipating walkers to come out. When there was no response, they opened the door. "I think I'm gonna go to that shop." Harley said while she pointed at the small market store on the other side of the street. "That way we can gather more supplies." she explained. Merle nodded and went inside, though Daryl gave her an uneasy look. "Ya sure? Ain't got anyone ta watch yer back, ya know tha'?" he said blankly. Harley nodded and turned around. It felt like Daryl was trying to avoid her at all cost after last night, and if he really had to talk, it were just simple words without meaning. Harley knew he was having one of these phases again; shutting everyone out.

Harley bit her tongue as she jogged down the street to the shop. She tapped on the glass and went inside after she made sure there weren't any walkers inside.

When she entered the shop, she smiled at the sight of all the canned goods. "Jackpot." she whispered to herself as she opened her backpack. Half an hour later, her backpack was nearly full. Harley decided to take a look in the back of the store; maybe she'd find some meds or other medical equipment. The backpack was feeling heavy on her back, though she wasn't complaining; infact, she was happy because of all the food she had found. They wouldn't have to go on a run any time soon after this one, and that put her mind at ease.

Harley opened a door while she grabbed one of her knives, an E-K-13, out of its sheath. She kicked the door open and found what previously seemed to be the office of the shop. Nevertheless, she decided she could atleast_ try_ to find something useful in here. Harley opened several drawers from the wooden office cabinet.

Nothing, except for books and paper. She grabbed some of the books, which were mostly study books. Maybe it would come in handy for Beth or Carl.

"Drop tha knife, love."

The voice startled her and she dropped the knife rather from shock. "Well, tha' was easy." she heard the male voice chuckle behind her. Harley automatically rolled her eyes. "Now, turn around slowly."

She obeyed the voice, knowing she would be shot right away if she wouldn't. Underestimating people was a stupid way to get yourself killed. Harley suddenly realized her guns and other knives were still in the car. _Fuck_. She dearly hoped Daryl and Merle would come looking for her at some point.

"Ya got anyone there?" another voice said from the hallway. The man grinned. "Oh, yer goin' ta_ love_ this one. Looks like a feisty bitch."

Harley bit her lower lip, to prevent herself from saying anything stupid. She knew if she would open her mouth only swearing and empty threats would come out.

Another man entered the room.

She felt like she was going to throw up.

"Well hello there _lil' girl_. Yer ain't so lil' anymore now, are ya?" Jack mumbled mockingly. He walked closer and Harley forced herself to blink a few times. Is this real? Is this piece of shit_ really_ here? Harley shook her head and lunged herself onto him with a scream, while the murderous event of her parents and sister was playing itself all over again inside her head. A gunshot echoed through the room.

* * *

Daryl and Merle loaded the car with the supplies they had found. The store had already been raided, but there had been plenty of useful goods left. Daryl hoped Harley had better luck at finding the necessary things they needed.

Merle chewed on a granole bar and leaned against the truck while Daryl put the bags in the bed of the truck. Suddenly, a gun shot caught their attention. "What tha fuck?" Merle rasped as he immediately grabbed his own gun. Daryl looked up when he heard the sound, coming from the store Harley had gone off to. "Darylina, does Princess 'ave 'er guns with 'er?"

The younger Dixon opened the door of the car and peered inside. Both of her guns were hidden under the seat, along with her holsters. "Fuck." he cursed as he closed the car and started to run towards the direction of the store. He didn't wait for Merle, though he was pretty sure that Merle was right behind him.

When the store came in sight, Daryl readied his crossbow and tried to reckon how many people were inside. He dearly hoped Harley wasn't in there, though he had a bad feeling about it. _Why only one shot? _

While he tried to find a logical theory, he heard the engine of a car. Daryl hid behind a wall from a different store while Merle ducked behind a car in the empty street. The car engine roared closeby and suddenly a red truck rounded the corner in high speed. When they were out of distance, he heard Merle let out a series of swearing. Daryl wondered why and entered the shop. _Nothing._ He walked towards the back of the store and found an empty looking office.

"I'm going ta get tha fuckin' car!" he heard Merle scream behind him. Daryl ignored him and stared at the blood stains on the ground along with Harley's hunting knife.


	26. Chapter 26

**Reviews are love. Your feedback matters & is important to me. Enjoy (ahum) this chapter. Don't hate me, I'll make it up to you (in like 45463 chapters lmfao bye grab yo kleenex yall)**

* * *

There was a lingering silence between them. Daryl bit his nails while Merle pushed onto the gas pedal. Both of them didn't know what to say, though it was pretty obvious that they hadn't expected this to happen. At _all_.

"We should've been there," Daryl suddenly said. "We let 'er go. If we would've been watchin' 'er ass, she'd be alrigh'."

Merle looked at Daryl, but Daryl avoided his judgemental look by glancing outside instead.  
"Ya got feelin's fo' tha' girl 'r somethin'? That why yer behavin' like tha dick ya are?"

Daryl looked at Merle. He was surprised that his older bother would even say something like that. It almost sounded gentle somehow. _Almost._

"No." Daryl scoffed. "But 'f she dies, tha blood 's on our hands." he explained harshly. Merle didn't buy it, though he decided to shut up about it.

The red car was nowhere to be seen and Daryl started to lose hope. He didn't want to give up the search, but soon it'd be dark and it would only make things more complicated. Merle suddenly stopped the car and turned around. "Tha fuck yer doin'?!" Daryl growled while Merle drove back towards the house. His brother didn't reply at first. "Turn 'round." Daryl commanded while he glared daggers at his older brother. Merle heaved a sigh. "We ain't properly armed, Darylina. Ammo 's in tha other car. We goin' to tha house ta get more man, we ain't got any idea 'bout these people. Best ta prepare for tha worst."

The fact that Merle was right made him feel even more frustrated. But he knew for sure, that he would find Harley, at all costs. The girl had sacrificed her life for his own and it was time to repay the debt, no matter what.

As soon as they were back, Rick and the others came out of the house right away. They all looked confused when they couldn't spot Harley. Daryl and Merle got out of the car and walked towards the fence. Maggie opened the fence and they walked inside. Rick looked at Daryl in question, though Martinez was the one to speak up. "Where's Harley?" he asked suspiciously as he eyed the Dixon brothers. Daryl sighed and ran a hand through his greasy hair. "She's taken by a group." Merle said as he looked at Martinez.

"Ya fuckin' wha'?! Y'all bunch 'o _goddamn_ idiots!" Harry prepared to attack Merle, but Martinez' group pushed him back. "Whadd'ya mean, '_she's taken'_?" Nash asked calmly. Martinez stared defeated at the ground and shook his head in disbelief. "We heard a gunshot 'n a red car drove off. Couldn' find Harley after tha'." Daryl muttered. Martinez glared at Daryl. "You didn't see it happen?" he asked with a frustrated undertone in his voice. "She was in different store. She thought it'd be smarter ta split up." Merle answered. Martinez groaned. "_Unbelievable_! We paired up in groups for a fucking _reason_!" he shouted.

Rick stepped forward. "We'll start searchin' for 'er tomorrow." he said firmly, though Martinez' men were clearly disagreeing with his proposal. "And leave her alone for a whole _night?_ God knows what could happen to her! For all we know, she ended up with a pair of psychos!" Wiley yelled. Rick shook his head. He wasn't going to change his mind, regardless of the situation. The group's safety was more important.

* * *

The blindfold was removed from her head. The light almost seemed to burn through her skull when she tried to open her eyes.

At first, she had screamed, hoping someone would hear her when they dragged her into the car. They had punched her unconscious to make her shut up.

Her throat hurted and her lips were dry. As soon as her eyes adjusted, Harley saw three men in front of her. She was tried up in a chair in some dark room. "Where the fuck am I?" she wondered while she narrowed her eyes. "It won't make any difference if you know, honey." one of the men said. He walked towards her and lowered himself so he could caress her cheek. When he reached her lips, Harley bit on his finger until it bleeded. "You motherfucking _bitch_!" he screamed as he slapped her.

Harley stared at him, while her cheek started to throb. She struggled and attempted to get her hands loose. It didn't work, because the cord was too tight.

Jack stepped into the room. "Angelo, ya can go. Dilan, stay with me while I talk ta miss reckless 'ere."

The man with the bleeding hand left the room. Harley tried to avoid Jack's intimidating glance, though he grabbed her cheek as soon as he noticed. "Ya got me shot." he growled dangerously. Harley smirked. "Yeah? Too bad the bullet didn't hit your _brains_. Now you still have to deal with your stupidity. I bet that brain of yours really could have used a little—" the words were cut off and the answer she received was a punch to the face. Harley shrieked and spit out the blood. She rested her head for a moment as she tried to fight against the pain and darkness that was threatening to take over her sight. After a few minutes, she looked back at Jack. "I ain't here ta play games with ya." he warned her while he lowered himself onto his knees. "Ya got me shot." he tried again.

Harley scoffed. What the fuck did he want? _Hear_ _a joke?_

"Ain't my fault that your men don't know how to work a gun." she said hoarsely. "Why am I here anyway? What use am I to you? Don't y'all got nothing better to do than lock up women?"

Jack smirked evilly. He turned around to look at the man, Dilan, and nodded once. Dilan nodded in return and walked to Harley. He grabbed her neck and forced her to walk along with him.

The walk felt like an eternity. They entered a large hallway. Harley's legs were weak due to the lack of water and protein. Jack opened a door and suddenly they stood outside on a lawn. Dilan continued to pull her along with him towards a shed. An uneasy feeling crept up to Harley's stomach as Jack opened the door of the shed.

Harley gasped and looked away, though Dilan grabbed her neck and forced her to look.

Atleast five female walkers were in the shed, with their clothes torn apart. There were bullet wounds on their foreheads. When they noticed the daylight and human meat, they all started to groan while they tried to reach for Harley. Harley screamed and Jack chuckled when one of the female walkers grabbed Harley's hair. "_Get them off me!_" she pleaded helplessly. "_Please!_ Get them away from me!"

After a few seconds, Jack kicked the walker in the stomach, causing the walker to stumble backwards. He closed the shed again. "We ain't got nothin' better ta do than lock up women. Ain't got many choices left in today's world. We take wha' we can git, just like we took yer sister."

Harley forced herself to look at Jack, though pretty soon she stared at the ground. Her sister. _Demi._

_No. Please._

"Hot lil' _thing_. Wha' was 'er name again, Dilan? _Demi_, right?" Jack mocked while he grinned. Harley tried to ignore the way they talked about her sister. About her body. About what they _did_ to her.

She forced herself to think of something happy. Was there even something happy left, amongst all the dreadful memories, that all involved the dead and diseased?

There was one thing. One time, she and Daryl went hunting. Harley had completely ruined it by swearing and moving too loudly. Daryl had yelled at her and threatened her to make her shut up if she'd try to ruin their dinner one more time. Harley only ended up laughing at Daryl's angry face.

None of that mattered now.

Her body was thrown back into the dark room. This time, the men didn't bother to tie her up in a chair. She crawled to the nearest corner and prayed to God to have mercy on her; if this was truly how her fate going to be, than she dearly hoped the ending would come sooner than later.


	27. Chapter 27

"How 'r we goin' ta do this?"

Daryl held the crossbow in his hands while he clenched his teeth. _Losin' precious time_, he thought bitterly while he watched the men talk.

"Are we even discussing this? Let's get our shit and _go._ Daryl and Merle ride with me, to lead us the way."

Rick heaved a sigh and realized he wasn't going to win this discussion; there were too many of them who didn't want to have a calm chat while making out a rescue plan. Daryl was glad to have Martinez' group around, for that matter.

* * *

Her limbs felt heavy and sore. She hadn't slept since last night; they had visited her atleast three times. One time, they had even tried to feed her, though Harley refused the offer. She couldn't eat; she knew for sure that she'd throw it all up right away. Though when they had offered her a large bottle of water, she had gulped half of it down.

After the several punches she had received for being too stubborn, there were bruises on both her cheeks. The swelling on her forehead gave her a headache.

The door opened and Angelo came in. He closed the door behind him, causing Harley to shrink into the corner out of fear. Angelo lowered himself onto his knees. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." he whispered, though Harley knew better than that; his finger was wrapped in bandage.

Her eyes widened with fear when he grabbed the back of her head. Angelo pushed her face against the ground. Not knowing whether she was delusional or not, she tried to fight against his touch. He managed to tear her shirt apart, though he received an elbow to the nose. Angelo stumbled backwards and Harley crawled away to the other corner while covering herself.

"Too bad Jack said we have to keep your face intact. He likes pretty walkers."

Harley tried to hold back the salty liquid and screams when Angelo grasped her hair again.

* * *

"Can ya speed up a lil'?"

Martinez looked at Daryl and nodded as he pushed his foot on the gas pedal. The car engine roared louder and Daryl bit on his nails. Meanwhile, Merle hadn't said anything since they had left the house. 2 other cars followed them; Rick, Wiley, Nash, Steve and Harry were amongst the group of people who would accompany them with the search. Shane and Glenn were at the house, even though Glenn had protested when Rick had told him to stay back.

"Stop here." Merle rasped. Martinez looked at him with an unreadable expression, though he obeyed anyhow. The cars behind them stopped aswell and they all got out. Daryl knew what Merle meant to do; Merle grabbed his gun and started tracking. The rest of the men looked at him. Daryl heaved a frustrated sigh. "Does no one know how ta track?" he wondered sheepish. They all looked at eachother in question. Daryl growled and shook his head. "How tha fuck did y'all even survive this long?"

* * *

_Please let me die_, she prayed pleadingly. _Please let me die. I can't deal with this shit anymore._

A long time ago, what felt like a different life time, she had begged for revenge. Nights she had spent praying to God to give her an opportunity to kill these son of a bitches.

_Apparently God has a cruel sense of humor_, she thought desperately while she tried to lay as still as possible. One movement was enough to torture her. After Angelo left, no one except Jack had visited her. But he had only thrown her a bottle of water.

Would the group search for her?

She already knew the answer, though she was unsure. They wouldn't even know where to begin looking for her. Usually, she would be the one to remain hopeful, but after yesterday and tonight, she had lost all hope.

Harley closed her eyes and drifted off to unconsciousness.

* * *

Gun firing brought her back to her senses. Had she been dreaming? Was she still delusional?

The screams in the hallway confirmed that she was actually awake. Harley crawled towards the chair and grabbed it. She pressed herself into the corner again and narrowed herself behind the chair.

The firing continued for a long time. Eventually, both the screaming and firing toned down until there were only talking people left. Harley trembled in fear while crossing her arms over her legs. She wanted everything to be alright. Her head was blurry, probably because she didn't have much fresh oxygen to begin with, so she couldn't properly think.

Before she could come up with a logical theory, the door was opened. The light hurted her eyes and she rolled up into a ball. "Harley?"

She immediately recognized the voice. "_Rick?_" she asked, as her voice trembled in fear. "She's in here!" Rick screamed to someone in the hallway.

Several people entered the room. Someone took the chair away and she heard a few people gasp and sigh.

Harley kept her eyes shut. When someone touched her, she panicked again. "Don't touch me!" she begged. The realisation had yet to come about how they were all here. The people she truly cared about. Most of the people left the room, except for one person.

"Sssh, 's jus' me." the voice whispered. The dreadful feeling disappeared a little. Harley wanted to smile, but she was too exhausted. "I'm goin' ta carry ya outside, alrigh'? Yer alrigh' Harls, yer goin' ta be jus' fine. Ain't nothin' gonna happen." Daryl soothed as he began to scoop her up into his arms.

"Please, don't leave me again. I can't stand another near-death experience, _asshole_. Everytime you leave something bad happens. Isn't that supposed to mean—" "Stop talkin', woman. I won't leave ya again, alrigh?"

He carried her out of the dark room. "Promise?" she begged. Daryl smirked. "_Promise._"


End file.
